The invention provides an organic EL device and a method for driving the organic electroluminescent device, that is adapted to perform satisfactorily multicolor (plural colors) luminescence with a simplified structure, and to provide an illumination device and electronic apparatus including the organic electroluminescent device. The device can include a first electrode, a second electrode and a third electrode that are formed on a substrate. A first organic luminescence layer can be formed between the first electrode and the second electrode, and a second organic luminescence layer can be formed between the second electrode and the third electrode. The first electrode and the third electrode are electrically coupled to each other. The second electrode has transparency, and at least one of the first electrode and the third electrode has transparency. There can also be included a power switching unit for enabling switching between forward driving which allows the first electrode and the third electrode to serve as an anode and allows the second electrode to serve as a cathode, and inverse driving which allows the first electrode and the third electrode to serve as a cathode and allows the second electrode to serve as an anode.