Cubism and the Trompe-l'oeil Tradition

A self-referential art concerned with the nature of representation, trompe l’oeil (“deceive the eye”) easel painting beguiles the viewer with perceptual and psychological games that complicate definitions of truth and fiction. This exhibition demonstrates that innovations normally considered distinct to Cubism, such as the emphatically shallow picture plane and references to new print media and advertising, were in fact typical of this age-old tradition. The Cubists Georges Braque, Juan Gris, and Pablo Picasso both parodied classic trompe l’oeil devices and invented new ways of confounding the viewer. Alongside their still lifes, the exhibition presents classic examples of trompe l’oeil painting from Europe and the United States, and eye-fooling wallpapers incorporated in Cubist collages