A display apparatus and method for selectively displaying a two-dimensional image and a three-dimensional image are provided. The display apparatus includes a flat panel display device which generates a two-dimensional image when two-dimensional image display is requested and generates viewpoint images having parallax when three-dimensional image display is requested; and a switching panel which is disposed in front of the flat panel display device to be separated from the flat panel display device by a predetermined distance and is controlled according to a type of image generated by the flat panel display device so that two-dimensional images and three-dimensional images can be displayed.