In a pixel circuit of an organic EL display device, a gate of a driving transistor is coupled to a gate of a compensating transistor, which is configured to operate as a diode. A precharge voltage is applied to the gate of the driving transistor while a selection signal is applied to a previous scan line, so that the compensating transistor is biased in a forward direction to apply a data voltage on the gate of the drive transistor. The driving transistor may be electrically isolated from the organic EL element (OLED) while precharging, so as to prevent the OLED from emitting a light using the precharge voltage. In addition, the driving transistor may be electrically isolated from the OLED while the data voltage is being charged, so as to prevent the OLED from emitting a light.