Noel Quinn was born on Christmas day and grew up in Rhode Island. After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1936, Quinn received a fellowship to do post graduate studies in France and Italy. He studied with Andre L'Hote, known as a key teacher in the Cubist art movement and with Andre Cassandre, a famous artist. He eventually went to work as an art director for the Paris division of the J. Walter Thompson Advertising Agency.

When World War II started, he moved to the Los Angeles area and began working in the motion picture industry. He produced pre-production art for many studios including Paramount, M.G.M. and Twentieth Century-Fox. In addition, he became a watercolor painti...