At first glance, it looks like an earthquake destroyed the walls of this building. Amazingly, it's just an optical illusion - even the woman looking inside is fake.
 
The paintings, which have fooled many, were created by Californian-born artist John Pugh, who specializes in trompe l'oeil or "trick of the eye" art. He works on large scale murals in public and residential areas and his paintings can be seen all over the world from New Zealand to Hawaii, with many telling a story of the area where they are positioned.

The building was designed by American muralist Richard John Haas in 1985. His murals have been commissioned as decoration for numerous public buildings in the United States. These include Chase Field, the Robert C. Byrd Federal Building & Courthouse in Beckley, West Virginia, the main branch of the New York Public Library, the Lakewood Public Library (Ohio), the Sarasota County, Florida Judicial Center and the former Board of Education building in Brooklyn, NY. One of his most renowned works, "Brooklyn Bridge," couples his artistic genius with his architectural background.

In Lyon the walls tell stories, mostly very tall tales. While painting on walls is as old as time, the city has taken the art of modern urban wall painting to new heights with nearly 60 outdoor murals. Some are breathtaking flights of fancy; others are marvelous examples of trompe l'oeil, depictions of everyday life so realistic you could almost walk into them.