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Artful Deceit: Trompe l’oeil and the Pursuit of the Hyperreal

June 07, 2025 - November 02, 2025
A hyperrealistic painting of a wooden box filled with almonds that is partially opened, revealing a cluster of almonds inside. A torn, handwritten note labeled "Free Sample" and signed "S. David" is attached to the box.
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De Scott Evans (1847–1898), Free Sample—Try One, ca. 1888, oil on canvas. Purchased with the Museum Volunteers’ Fund, 1984
A hyperrealistic painting depicts a door with assorted objects hanging from it, including a horn, a framed picture, blue paper, a lock, and a circular canteen.
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John Frederick Peto (1854–1907), Bowie Knife, Keyed Bugle and Canteen, 1890s, oil on canvas. Gift of Amanda K. Berls, 1980
A landscape painting depicting a serene waterfall and mountains, partially obscured by torn paper edges, string, and vintage express shipping labels. The scene blends natural beauty with elements of travel and transport.
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John Haberle (1856–1933), Torn in Transit, 1890–95, oil on canvas. Gift of Amanda K. Berls, 1980
A still life painting features a large ceramic mug with blue stripes, several round crackers, a wooden pipe, a rolled newspaper, and scattered matchsticks on a dark wooden surface.
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William Michael Harnett (1848–1892), A Man’s Table Reversed, 1877, oil on canvas. Gift of Amanda K. Berls, 1980
A still life painting featuring a bowl of fruit, including yellow grapes cascading over the edge, a central yellow pear, and several peaches. Dark grapes and green leaves are scattered around the wooden table against a dark background.
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James Peale (1749–1831), Still Life with Fruit on a Tabletop, ca. 1825, oil on wood panel. Purchased with the Museum Volunteers’ Fund, 2004
A hyperrealistic painting of four yellow apples are lined up in front of a folded white cloth with decorative cutouts. The background is dark, creating a contrast that highlights the apples and cloth.
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Greg Mort (b. 1952), Silver Sphere, 1995, watercolor on paper. Gift of Diane L. Colgan M.D., 2014

While the artistic term trompe l’oeil—meaning “to deceive the eye”—originated in France in 1800, artists have endeavored to create artworks that appear real enough to touch since antiquity.

This exhibition explores techniques used by American artists from 1825 to the present to portray scenes that fool our senses, even if briefly. Artful Deceit also examines the range of artistic motivations and social realities that inspire the creation of hyperreal works, such as humor, showmanship, material pleasure, economic anxiety, and a desire to enter into dialogue with earlier generations of artists. The exhibition includes artworks by Jefferson David Chalfant, George Cope, De Scott Evans, Scott Fraser, John Haberle, William Michael Harnett, Greg Mort, James Peale, John Frederick Peto, and James Welling. Nearly all the works are drawn from the permanent collection of the Brandywine Museum of Art, reflecting the strength of the institution’s holdings of historical and contemporary trompe l’oeil paintings.