An image display apparatus includes a light source for supplying illumination light, a reflective display element for reflecting and modulating the illumination light into image light, a first optical system for guiding the illumination light to the reflective display element, and a second optical system for guiding the image light to an observer. Particularly, the first optical system has an optical element including a first surface on which the illumination light is incident, a second surface for totally reflecting the light incident on the first surface, and a third surface from which the light totally reflected by the second surface emerges toward the reflective display element. The first optical system is arranged so that the image light is again incident through the third surface on the optical element and emerges from the second surface toward the second optical system. The optical element has a function of preventing unnecessary light from being guided to the observer, by making a side surface of the optical element as a diffusing surface, or by providing a side surface of the optical element with a light absorbing film or with an antireflection coating.