Tsai Liang

This diplomat-turned-painter got stuck giving gifts instead of making them. His 1959 oil Flacăra revoluționară la Yenan was one of ten prints bound into a glossy book for Ceaușescu, each picture chosen to flatter Mao’s China. Look closely and you’ll spot the careful lines that turn revolutionary drama into glossy propaganda.

For a quick taste, search the album’s title, it’s the rare Chinese painting that doubles as Cold War office decor.