Rogge (rhymes with “froggy”) Dunn might be best categorized as an eccentric. The second-generation Dallasite and founding partner of Clouse Dunn LLP, a law firm specializing in business and employment litigation, is known to sport whimsical ties at the office and in the courtroom, for example. He’s also an avid collector of arts and antiques, and readily showcases the items he picks up at auctions and in his travels at his office, his (two) homes, and at various public exhibitions.
His collection is expansive and diverse, including everything from presidential autographs to the bed of nails used on The Addams Family TV show. But Dunn is especially attracted to graphic arts, and specifically to World War I- and II-era propaganda posters, which he began collecting as a student at the London School of Economics. Not only does he collect these posters, he also fervently researches each one to learn about its history and significance.
Before the advent of the Internet, Dunn relied on a library of about 120 books on posters to conduct painstaking research. “I research every piece in the collection I have,” he says. “I find out about the artist, the events going on, what led to it—they’re just phenomenal stories and incredible artists.”
Part of Dunn’s poster collection is currently on display (for the second time) at the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Dallas Love Field, through January 31. Titled “The Art of Persuasion,” the exhibit features 36 posters borrowed from the walls of his homes and office. Dunn hopes visitors who view the exhibit will learn about the sacrifices made by those involved with America’s participation in both world wars.
“It gives you a chance to actually feel some of the patriotism and some of the sacrifice that our parents and grandparents and great-grandparents made,” he says. “When you see these posters, you get a feeling of, ‘Wow, this country was really united’” back then.
