In this paper I address the relation between the concepts of 'spectacle' (the spectacular) and 'simulacrum' (simulations), in the context of contemporary art and culture. Contemporary (western) culture appears, in its dominant part at least, as a culture of spectacles and simulations. These two concepts appear almost as synonyms, referring to the same cultural phenomenon. To understand their meaning and significance for contemporary culture, these concepts are also explained in the context of their genesis. Special attention is paid to a series of paradoxes that rise in the analysis of the concepts as contemporary theoretical models.