diff --git a/cogl/cogl-framebuffer.c b/cogl/cogl-framebuffer.c
index 9712fe747..071b9ec88 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl-framebuffer.c
+++ b/cogl/cogl-framebuffer.c
@@ -1690,3 +1690,34 @@ cogl_onscreen_set_swap_throttled (CoglOnscreen *onscreen,
       winsys->onscreen_update_swap_throttled (onscreen);
     }
 }
+
+void
+cogl_onscreen_show (CoglOnscreen *onscreen)
+{
+  CoglFramebuffer *framebuffer = COGL_FRAMEBUFFER (onscreen);
+  const CoglWinsysVtable *winsys;
+
+  if (!framebuffer->allocated)
+    {
+      if (!cogl_framebuffer_allocate (framebuffer, NULL))
+        return;
+    }
+
+  winsys = _cogl_framebuffer_get_winsys (framebuffer);
+  if (winsys->onscreen_set_visibility)
+    winsys->onscreen_set_visibility (onscreen, TRUE);
+}
+
+void
+cogl_onscreen_hide (CoglOnscreen *onscreen)
+{
+  CoglFramebuffer *framebuffer = COGL_FRAMEBUFFER (onscreen);
+
+  if (framebuffer->allocated)
+    {
+      const CoglWinsysVtable *winsys =
+        _cogl_framebuffer_get_winsys (framebuffer);
+      if (winsys->onscreen_set_visibility)
+        winsys->onscreen_set_visibility (onscreen, FALSE);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/cogl/cogl-framebuffer.h b/cogl/cogl-framebuffer.h
index 120382fc3..3f4ecb8a5 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl-framebuffer.h
+++ b/cogl/cogl-framebuffer.h
@@ -106,6 +106,58 @@ void
 cogl_onscreen_set_swap_throttled (CoglOnscreen *onscreen,
                                   gboolean throttled);
 
+/**
+ * cogl_onscreen_show:
+ * @onscreen: The onscreen framebuffer to make visible
+ *
+ * This requests to make @onscreen visible to the user.
+ *
+ * Actually the precise semantics of this function depend on the
+ * window system currently in use, and if you don't have a
+ * multi-windowining system this function may in-fact do nothing.
+ *
+ * This function will implicitly allocate the given @onscreen
+ * framebuffer before showing it if it hasn't already been allocated.
+ *
+ * <note>Since Cogl doesn't explicitly track the visibility status of
+ * onscreen framebuffers it wont try to avoid redundant window system
+ * requests e.g. to show an already visible window. This also means
+ * that it's acceptable to alternatively use native APIs to show and
+ * hide windows without confusing Cogl.</note>
+ *
+ * Since: 2.0
+ * Stability: Unstable
+ */
+#define cogl_onscreen_show cogl_onscreen_show_EXP
+void
+cogl_onscreen_show (CoglOnscreen *onscreen);
+
+/**
+ * cogl_onscreen_hide:
+ * @onscreen: The onscreen framebuffer to make invisible
+ *
+ * This requests to make @onscreen invisible to the user.
+ *
+ * Actually the precise semantics of this function depend on the
+ * window system currently in use, and if you don't have a
+ * multi-windowining system this function may in-fact do nothing.
+ *
+ * This function does not implicitly allocate the given @onscreen
+ * framebuffer before hiding it.
+ *
+ * <note>Since Cogl doesn't explicitly track the visibility status of
+ * onscreen framebuffers it wont try to avoid redundant window system
+ * requests e.g. to show an already visible window. This also means
+ * that it's acceptable to alternatively use native APIs to show and
+ * hide windows without confusing Cogl.</note>
+ *
+ * Since: 2.0
+ * Stability: Unstable
+ */
+#define cogl_onscreen_hide cogl_onscreen_hide_EXP
+void
+cogl_onscreen_hide (CoglOnscreen *onscreen);
+
 #define cogl_get_draw_framebuffer cogl_get_draw_framebuffer_EXP
 CoglFramebuffer *
 cogl_get_draw_framebuffer (void);
diff --git a/cogl/winsys/cogl-winsys-egl.c b/cogl/winsys/cogl-winsys-egl.c
index 61b733ecf..0ffd48b40 100644
--- a/cogl/winsys/cogl-winsys-egl.c
+++ b/cogl/winsys/cogl-winsys-egl.c
@@ -971,8 +971,6 @@ _cogl_winsys_onscreen_init (CoglOnscreen *onscreen,
 
       XFree (xvisinfo);
 
-      XMapWindow (xlib_renderer->xdpy, xwin);
-
       XSync (xlib_renderer->xdpy, False);
       xerror = _cogl_renderer_xlib_untrap_errors (display->renderer, &state);
       if (xerror)
@@ -1127,6 +1125,22 @@ _cogl_winsys_onscreen_swap_region (CoglOnscreen *onscreen,
     g_warning ("Error reported by eglSwapBuffersRegion");
 }
 
+#ifdef COGL_HAS_EGL_PLATFORM_POWERVR_X11_SUPPORT
+static void
+_cogl_winsys_onscreen_set_visibility (CoglOnscreen *onscreen,
+                                      gboolean visibility)
+{
+  CoglContext *context = COGL_FRAMEBUFFER (onscreen)->context;
+  CoglRendererXlib *xlib_renderer = context->display->renderer->winsys;
+  CoglOnscreenXlib *xlib_onscreen = onscreen->winsys;
+
+  if (visibility)
+    XMapWindow (xlib_renderer->xdpy, xlib_onscreen->xwin);
+  else
+    XUnmapWindow (xlib_renderer->xdpy, xlib_onscreen->xwin);
+}
+#endif
+
 static guint32
 _cogl_winsys_get_vsync_counter (void)
 {
@@ -1229,6 +1243,9 @@ static CoglWinsysVtable _cogl_winsys_vtable =
     .onscreen_bind = _cogl_winsys_onscreen_bind,
     .onscreen_swap_buffers = _cogl_winsys_onscreen_swap_buffers,
     .onscreen_swap_region = _cogl_winsys_onscreen_swap_region,
+#ifdef COGL_HAS_EGL_PLATFORM_POWERVR_X11_SUPPORT
+    .onscreen_set_visibility = _cogl_winsys_onscreen_set_visibility,
+#endif
     .onscreen_update_swap_throttled =
       _cogl_winsys_onscreen_update_swap_throttled,
     .onscreen_x11_get_window_xid =
diff --git a/cogl/winsys/cogl-winsys-glx.c b/cogl/winsys/cogl-winsys-glx.c
index 1f115f2fe..47a207f2b 100644
--- a/cogl/winsys/cogl-winsys-glx.c
+++ b/cogl/winsys/cogl-winsys-glx.c
@@ -806,8 +806,6 @@ _cogl_winsys_onscreen_init (CoglOnscreen *onscreen,
 
       XFree (xvisinfo);
 
-      XMapWindow (xlib_renderer->xdpy, xwin);
-
       XSync (xlib_renderer->xdpy, False);
       xerror = _cogl_renderer_xlib_untrap_errors (display->renderer, &state);
       if (xerror)
@@ -1324,6 +1322,20 @@ _cogl_winsys_onscreen_update_swap_throttled (CoglOnscreen *onscreen)
   _cogl_winsys_onscreen_bind (onscreen);
 }
 
+static void
+_cogl_winsys_onscreen_set_visibility (CoglOnscreen *onscreen,
+                                      gboolean visibility)
+{
+  CoglContext *context = COGL_FRAMEBUFFER (onscreen)->context;
+  CoglRendererXlib *xlib_renderer = context->display->renderer->winsys;
+  CoglOnscreenXlib *xlib_onscreen = onscreen->winsys;
+
+  if (visibility)
+    XMapWindow (xlib_renderer->xdpy, xlib_onscreen->xwin);
+  else
+    XUnmapWindow (xlib_renderer->xdpy, xlib_onscreen->xwin);
+}
+
 /* XXX: This is a particularly hacky _cogl_winsys interface... */
 static XVisualInfo *
 _cogl_winsys_xlib_get_visual_info (void)
@@ -1904,6 +1916,7 @@ static CoglWinsysVtable _cogl_winsys_vtable =
       _cogl_winsys_onscreen_add_swap_buffers_callback,
     .onscreen_remove_swap_buffers_callback =
       _cogl_winsys_onscreen_remove_swap_buffers_callback,
+    .onscreen_set_visibility = _cogl_winsys_onscreen_set_visibility,
     .get_vsync_counter = _cogl_winsys_get_vsync_counter,
 
     /* X11 tfp support... */
diff --git a/cogl/winsys/cogl-winsys-private.h b/cogl/winsys/cogl-winsys-private.h
index e09fde99b..1e1fec042 100644
--- a/cogl/winsys/cogl-winsys-private.h
+++ b/cogl/winsys/cogl-winsys-private.h
@@ -122,6 +122,10 @@ typedef struct _CoglWinsysVtable
   (*onscreen_remove_swap_buffers_callback) (CoglOnscreen *onscreen,
                                             unsigned int id);
 
+  void
+  (*onscreen_set_visibility) (CoglOnscreen *onscreen,
+                              gboolean visibility);
+
   guint32
   (*get_vsync_counter) (void);
 
diff --git a/examples/hello.c b/examples/hello.c
index ace664fb5..62076ad0f 100644
--- a/examples/hello.c
+++ b/examples/hello.c
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@ main (int argc, char **argv)
         return 1;
     }
 
+    cogl_onscreen_show (onscreen);
+
     cogl_push_framebuffer (fb);
 
     triangle = cogl_primitive_new_p2c4 (COGL_VERTICES_MODE_TRIANGLES,