Marianne Huber has had a long and distinguished career as an art dealer and appraiser. She is presently an expert at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer. Ms. Huber also stands at the head of New World Art Services, a company she founded in 1993 and dedicated to consulting and appraising in the field of tribal art for market advice, donations and insurance. Her particular interests are pre-Columbian art, African art, and Oceanic art, and she has done extensive work in appraising and identifying costumes and textiles.
In preparation for her career, Ms. Huber earned a Bachelor of Arts from Cardinal Stritch College in Milwaukee in 1958, where she studied anthropology and then earned an Associate of Applied Arts, a specialized degree that provided her with extensive artistic training. She also took all the available courses in appraisal preparation at the University of Missouri in Kansas City and pursued Mayan studies at workshops at the University of Texas. She has been garnering experience as an art dealer and consultant for Huber Primitive Art in New York City and Dixon, Ill., since 1963. Prior to her career in the industry, Ms. Huber was a junior high school teacher at the Garside School in Mexico City and a sixth-grade teacher at St. Andrew’s School in Rock Falls, Ill.
Using her extensive knowledge in tribal arts, Ms. Huber has consulted and lectured at the Primitive Art Society in Chicago, the Freeport Art Museum in Illinois, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, and the Nprstk Museum in Prague in the Czech Republic. Further, she has been a participant at Maya Meetings at the Mesoamerica Center at the University of Austin, Texas, since 1985.
Not only is Ms. Huber a member of organizations pertaining to her field, such as the American Appraisers Association, the American Society of Appraisers, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts, she is also a member of civic organizations like the Phidian Society, the League of Women Voters, the American Association of University Women, the International Platform Association, and Illinois Democratic Women. She has been a committeewoman in the Democratic precinct since 2002, and an election judge in Ogle County, Illinois, since 1993. She is also a member of Delta Epsilon Sigma.
Ms. Huber has used her expertise in the field of tribal arts in various other pursuits as well. She is the author of “Echoes of a Distant Flute,” and the translator of “The Frida Kahlo Papers.” She has initiated many exhibitions of art and is the author and co-producer of the documentaries “The Cuna,” and “Nebaj, Cotzal and Chajul.” Additionally, she wrote and co-produced “The Maya Calendar.”
When Ms. Huber has spare time, she enjoys hiking, wilderness camping, painting, playing the piano, and traveling.