Peter York, forward by Douglas Coupland
It would seem that, out there somewhere, there is a checklist and letter that your average dictator is sent when they reach a certain level. “Yes,” this letter says, “you may rule with an iron fist and have your every bloody whim met. But in return, you will have horrendous interior decorating taste.”
Right, let’s see here:
Gilt and flocked wallpaper? Check
Dark European paintings? Check
French or English antiques (or knock-offs)? Check
Enormous, empty rooms with no purpose? Check
Stashes of stuff – shoes, furs, jewelry, more furniture? Check
Vast, ugly bathrooms? Check
Of course, not all dictators stick to the list. Some are quite inventive. Saddam liked fantasy sci-fi art of the sort you pick up at fair booths – dragons, big-busted women, garish colors on velvet. Ceausescu had violet bathroom sinks. Hitler collected Dresden figurines. Whodathunk? Delightfully hideous!