Giovan Battista Galizzi was born in Bergamo to a family of artists. He enrolled at the Carrara Academy in 1896 and continued his studies at the School of Applied Arts for Industry. In the early 20th century, he joined his father in decorating churches in Lombardy, also dedicating himself with growing success to illustration, caricature, and printmaking. In 1927, he created the illustrations for the commemorative edition of I Promessi Sposi, published by the Istituto Italiano d'Arti Grafiche. During the 1930s and 1940s, Galizzi intensified his collaborations with major publishing houses, continuing to work in the field of sacred painting.