Charles Dunnavan - Revere Auctions

The Estate of Charles Curtis Dunnavan

Honoring a Lifetime of Collecting and Cultural Support

In 2023, Revere Auctions was privileged to handle the estate of Charles Curtis Dunnavan (1926–2022), Curt to all who knew him, was a beloved figure in Minnesota’s arts community whose legacy continues to resonate at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) and beyond. With his MBA from Tuck School of Business, he spent his early career working as an investment analyst, and in 1979, Curt founded CC Dunnavan and Company, a Minneapolis-based investment company.

A passionate art collector and generous philanthropist, Dunnavan was deeply involved with Mia for decades. His visionary support helped strengthen the museum’s leadership and programs, including a landmark endowment of $6 million for the position of Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer — a contribution that solidified Mia’s long-term stability and ability to grow its mission. In recognition of his generosity, one of Mia’s galleries now bears his name, and when you walk the halls, you’ll find pieces from his collection still on display.

Dunnavan’s home in Long Lake, MN reflected his broad interests, and his collection featured a thoughtful mix of fine art, furniture, and objects acquired through travel and lifelong curiosity. Revere Auctions approached the project with the same respect and care that defined Dunnavan’s own approach to collecting. Our team oversaw every aspect of estate handling, including estate appraisal, cataloguing, photography, and sale coordination. The result was a seamless estate auction that celebrated not only the quality of the artworks but also the story behind them — a tribute to a life lived in the service of art and community.

In addition to the main auction services provided by Revere Auctions, our subsidiary brand, Loon Estates, worked together to provide full-service estate handling for the Dunnavan family, coordinating the home estate clean-out quickly, so the property could go up for sale as quickly as possible. Revere’s expertise in estate management, auctions, and residential clean-out services, the team ensured a seamless, start-to-finish process, giving the family peace of mind and maximizing the value of both the home and its contents. High value items from the Dunnavan Estate were included in Revere’s auction, The Arts of Asia, India, & the Middle East, while the remaining household goods were sold with Loon Estates in a single-owner online auction event.

For Revere, it was an honor to guide this important Minnesota collection through its next chapter. Each object offered at auction carried a piece of Dunnavan’s legacy — his generosity, his eye for excellence, and his unwavering belief in the power of the arts to enrich lives.

Revere continues to specialize in estate handling for collectors, philanthropists, and institutions, ensuring that each estate is managed with expertise, transparency, and a deep understanding of the legacy it represents.