Trompe l'oeil illusions use realistic-looking imagery to fool us into believing that an object could be real. Often using anamorphosis, which requires them to be viewed from a certain angle, this method of creating illusions has been used for centuries, and there are artists that have perfected the technique, creating trompe l'oeil illusions that truly do trick the eyes.
Businesses have got in on the fun too, using Trompe l'oeil, or trick of the eye, illusions for everything from eye-catching billboards and video campaigns. To provide some inspiration, we've rounded up some of the best trompe l'oeil illusions that we've seen, covering a wide range of styles and placements from around the world.
Prepare to be amazed, because some of these have us questioning what we see. For more examples of great advertising that won't have your eyes and brain tied up in knots, check out our pick of the best billboard advertising (opens in new tab).
In many of the trompe l'oeil images below, you can click on the icon at the top-right of the image to enlarge it.
01. Braga Last One's Sphynx
Tom Bragado Blanco, or Braga Last One (opens in new tab), creates stunning trompe l'oeil illusions that push the boundaries of street art. He blends 3D painting and anamorphic illusions to create mind-blowing site-specific pieces that blend into their surroundings. A perfect example of his trompe l'oeil illusion technique is this masterful sphynx cat on an old gas tank in a field somewhere in Bouches-du-Rhône in southern France. Viewed from the right angle, the enormous bald feline blends perfectly into the landscape.
02. Puzzling Realities
Jenny McCracken (opens in new tab) painted a 3D wall and floor piece for the Dubai Canvas 2016. Puzzling Realities is a mind-bending, in-your-face 3D painting of a unicorn jumping out of the wall, complete with giant paintbrush – and we love it. With many trompe l'oeil examples feeling more classic than modern, it's brilliant to see such a bold, bright example.
03. Pac-Man
This retro Pac-Man trompe loeil (opens in new tab) was created by Leon Keer in the Netherlands, for the Ouverture (an event that opens the cultural season in the region). It took three days for Keer to complete and aimed to create a fun vibe. "It’s a recognisable theme that awakens people’s memories," says Keer.
Keer also designed an awesome Terracotta Lego trompe l'oeil (opens in new tab) in Florida, which is well worth checking out.
04. Le Radeau de Lampedusa
Pierre Delavie (opens in new tab) created this hard hitting piece (translated as 'The Raft of Lampedusa'), in collaboration with the Bureau d'accueil et d'accompagnement des migrants (Reception and Support Office for Migrants) in 2017. This trompe l'oeil depicted a boat of refugees capsizing in the River Seine and aimed to alert Parisians to the urgency of the situation of refugees drowning in the Mediterranean Sea. The orginal image was taken by the Italian Navy in 2016.
Talking to French publication Mashable FR, Delavie explained that he was extremely touched by the events in the Mediterranean and that when he saw the image it upset him. He cut it out and kept it, then eventually recreated it on the wall of the River Seine.
05. Wasting Time
Created by a pair of chalk artists, Jenny McCracken and Leon Keer (opens in new tab), as part of Sydney's Chalk Urban Art Festival in 2014, Wasting Time (opens in new tab) was a massive 350 square metre work of surreal trompe l'oeil loveliness in which the ground was ripped open to reveal a weird subterranean scene packed with giant children, strange steampunk machinery and much more.
06. Tunnelvision
This dramatic piece (opens in new tab) is 50 ft x 75 ft and shows a craggy portal leading to a fantasy moon. Created by local artist Blue Sky (opens in new tab), who has more work in the area, it can be found in a parking lot in downtown Columbia. The artist does regular touch ups to make sure it stays as realistic as possible but despite tales to the contrary it has not been crashed into by any confused local drivers.
07. Copenhagen Zoo
Bus wraps are a new – and mobile – way of sending trompe l'oeil artwork out into the world. This one (opens in new tab), featuring a giant snake crushing a bus, will either put you off or encourage you to visit Copenhagen Zoo. Either way, it's a memorable design certain to stick in your head and generate word-of mouth enthusiasm.
08. Floating shapes
Felice Varini (opens in new tab) is a Switzerland-born artist based in Paris. For over 30 years now, he's been creating remarkable geometric trompe l'oeil installations around the world. Painting primarily on architectural spaces such as buildings and walls, each of his works has a single vantage point from which a precise geometric shape appears. Genius.
09. The Crevasse
German street painter Edgar Mueller (opens in new tab) is a master of fun trompe l'oeil work – this crevasse piece being a perfect example. Mueller's website is filled with awe-inspiring images of incredibly detailed and realistic street paintings, which include waterfalls, trees and caves. We know this trompe l'oeil artwork isn't real but that wouldn't stop us thinking twice before standing on it.
10. Roundstone St
Located in Roundstone St in Trowbridge, UK, this trompe l'oeil is thought to be the biggest in the country. The realistic house design, created by artist Roger Smith and Wiltshire Steeplejacks, was installed on the blank wall in October 2003 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Trowbridge Civic Society.
11. Great American Crossroad
Eric Grohe (opens in new tab) began his creative career as an illustrator and graphic designer back in 1961. Since then, his work has grown in scope and size, leading to the large-scale trompe l’oeil murals he creates today. He uses specialist German paint, which crystallises into mineral substrates and will not fade, peel or blister. Grohe has painted artwork all over the US, including this brilliant piece, titled Great American Crossroad, located in Ohio.
12. The Canebière
A specialist in urban illusion, visual artist, painter, videographer and musician Pierre Delavie is the man behind this giant trompe l'oeil located on the facade of the Palais de la Bourse in Marseille, France. The brilliant scene shows the Canebière – the historic high street in the old quarter of Marseille – passing right through the building.
13. Fresque du Petit-Champlain
Quebec is home to some amazing trompe l'oeil artwork. One such example is the Fresque du Petit-Champlain, which can be found in Old Quebec, at the foot of Escalier Casse-Cou (Breakneck Steps) and along one of the oldest streets in North America. The mindblowing piece depicts depicts milestones in the city's history, from the beginnings of New France until the present day.
14. Honda commercial
Packed full of optical illusions and illustrations, this brilliant commercial for Honda was created by UK ad agency mcgarrybowen (opens in new tab). By blending practical elements with cleverly painted imagery, this clip stays as fresh as it is mind-boggling.
15. René Magritte Museum
Back in 2009, a new museum dedicated to the Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte (opens in new tab) opened in Brussels. The building that housed this famous painter's work had its facade updated in trompe l'oeil, featuring two side of theatre curtains pleated open to reveal a giant reproduction of iconic work of Magritte: The Empire of Light (1954).
16. 39 George V
In 2007, the people of Paris were able to take in this view of the 39 George V building. While the structure was being renovated, artwork made entirely of photographs of the original building was manipulated, printed and hung on scaffolding to shelter the rehabilitation. Very cool.
17. Cafe Trompe L'oeil
This detailed piece, by prolific artist John Pugh (opens in new tab), is entitled Art Imitating Life Imitating Art Imitating Life. It can be found at the Cafe Trompe L'oeil, in San Jose, California.
18. Pepsi truck
Trompe l'oeil art doesn't just work on buildings. This Pepsi trompe l'oeil illusion, featuring several gravity-defying crates of cola, was one of seven semi-trailer trucks that were painted in the brain-scrambling trompe l'oeil style (others (opens in new tab) included a fish tank and mobile library design).
19. Derelict building
This impressive mural, painted by artist Nina Camplin (opens in new tab), transformed an old, derelict building in Swanage into an eye-catching piece of art. Specialising in trompe l'oeil, Camplin's website states she is "interested in challenging perceptions of space and creating illusions of faked realities."
20. Arches
The career of mural artist Janet Shearer (opens in new tab) began back in 1983 when she was commissioned to decorate the walls of a swimming pool in Hyde Park. Since then she has created hundreds of paintings, ranging from portraits to landscapes. But Shearer has a particular passion for trompe l'oeil and constantly creates brilliant pieces, including this including this ultra-realistic 'Arches' mural.
21. Siete Punto Uno
Another piece by artist John Pugh, this Egyptian style mural adorns a wall in Los Gatos, California. His incredibly realistic 3D illustrations trick the viewer's eye into believing the scene is real. Even the woman peering into the ruin is a painting.
What is a trompe l'oeil illusion?
Trompe l'oeil literally means to trick or deceive the eye in French. In art, it refers to the technique of depicting an object so realistically that it makes it look as if it were real. This is often achieved using anamorphosis, a type of optical illusion that involves a distorted projection that requires the viewer to be at a specific location to view it. Such illusions are used in painting, photography, sculpture and in film special effects.
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