Marcel Wah was born in 1936 into a well-known family of Haitian-Chinese artists in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He began to paint early; however, his professional art career did not begin until 1994, after eight years of honorably serving in the United States Air Force. After his discharge, he attended art schools in California. He holds a bachelor's and master's Degrees in Fine Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute and the California College of the Arts, respectively. His art making and involvement in art are taking "a leave of absence" until some time in the future when he can significantly impact creating a Caribbean art market.