(August 2009 - July 2010)

The metamorphic skull has always been one of the most popular optical illusions. From the 19th century, artists and designers have been using this kind of image in postcards, comics, advertisements or covers.

In this exhibit we are showing more than fifty examples of this kind of illusion. We would like to start with the origins of skull illusion. All is vanity, the image designed by Charles Allan Gilbert, has always been considered the first skull illusion ever. However, our research shows that Blosson and Decay, published in 1860 according to several sources, might be the oldest. Many other skull illusion postcards were published in the first decades of the 20th century, most of them included in the exhibit.

Skull illusions have also been used for all kinds of graphic works. There are numerous examples of pulp magazine covers, satiric posters and, in the last years, cd covers or movie posters which show them. Lots of contemporary artists, some of them present in this exhibit, have also worked with these illusions. A special mention should be made here to the work by Istvan Orosz, who has made up the most impressive collection of this kind of illusions.

Other works, which haven´t been included in this exhibit, deserve to be mentioned here: the artworks by Octavio Ocampo and Salvador Dalí and other graphic examples used in covers or ads. We must be very grateful to the collaboration of the artists, right owners and collectors who have given us permission to publish their artworks.