V. Ion Popa

This Romanian painter worked mostly in propaganda posters, but his 1981 portrait of Ceaușescu stands out. The dictator floats above a map of Romania, factories and power lines crowding the frame like he’s holding the whole country in one stiff grip. You can still spot this odd mash-up hanging in Alba County buildings if you look closely.

Try hunting down the print, its unflinching gaze and industrial clutter make it feel like a time capsule.