John Bellany was born on 18 June 1942 in Port Seton, East Lothian, Scotland, UK. He was married to Juliet Lister and Helen Percy. He died on 28 August 2013 in Scotland, UK.
He was born into a family of fishermen and boat-builders, and much of his work draws upon coastal themes. Some of his paintings are in the collections of the National Galleries of Scotland, Tate Britain in London, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.