'Trompe l'oeil', or the art of deception, on show in Paris | Bangkok Post: news

"Trompe l'oeil" -- or art designed to trick the eye -- is the title of a new Paris exhibit exploring the history of illusion and pastiche, from ancient frescoes to fashion and the decorative arts.

A visitor walks past "Down The Rabbit Hole" by desigher Rasch. The artwork is part of the "Trompe l'Oeil" exhibition at the Arts Decoratifs museum in Paris. "Trompe l'oeil" -- or art designed to trick the eye -- is the title of a new Paris exhibit exploring the history of illusion and pastiche, from ancient frescoes to fashion and the decorative arts.

The first known use of trompe l'oeil, as legend would have it, dates back to ancient Greece, in the fifth century BC, when the artist Zeuxis painted a bunch of grapes so realistic that a bird flew down to peck at them.