An optical element 11 includes a bandpass filter made of a lamination of thin films respectively having different refraction factors so as to selectively allow light emitted from a backlight 6 to pass therethrough, and a polarizer 3, a quarter-wavelength plate 2 located between the bandpass filter 6 and the polarizer 3 so as to prevent light incident from the side of the polarizer 3 from being reflected by the bandpass filter 1 and then emitted from the side of the polarizer 3.