Gheorghe Caruțiu

Gheorghe Caruțiu’s paintings feel like time capsules from the late 1980s, packed with Ceaușescu’s face and tractor parades. His official commissions show workers cheering above factories and farms, all stiff smiles and sharp edges, propaganda painted slick as a magazine ad. The real twist?

These weren’t hidden; they hung in city halls and factories, meant to be stared at daily by people who knew the truth behind the gold frames. Check out his 1988 work Recunoștință in Constanța’s county hall; it’s a perfect (and perfectly weird) snapshot of an era.