Bertie Pearce

for The Tennant Lecture Series

Illusion, Deception, Theatre and Magic - Now You See It, Now You Don't!

Thursday 1 October 2026

Lecture in the EM Forster Theatre at 8pm

Drinks in the Theatre Foyer from 7.15pm

Following on from his wonderful talk about Charles Dickens five years ago, Bertie Pearce, an accredited Art Society Lecturer and member of The Magic Circle, is returning to Tonbridge to give a talk entitled 'Now You See It, Now You Don't'.

Bertie suggests that there is universal delight in being deceived and in this lecture, you will be taken on a tour of art which fools, surprises and amuses the viewer. Beginning with the Belgium surrealist Renee Magritte, it encompasses Trompe l'eoil, Banksy, Bridget Riley, Arcimbaldo and Escher, to name but a few. This is one of the quirkiest and most fascinating lectures you will ever hear: hold onto your seats and get ready to be visually fried!

This event is fully accessible.