In an image display apparatus, an image classification unit generates one or more of image groups by classifying image data to which attribution information is added based on the attribute information. A display control unit displays, on a display device, a list of a plurality of thumbnail images of the image data included in each of the image groups generated by the image classification unit, in a manner in which the plurality of thumbnail images are piled up for every image group. Herein, the display control unit acquires the predetermined number of sheets of image data from the selected image group to display, on the display device, the image data as a background image in which the image data are arranged.