Paul Lehr A Hidden Universe 

Closed September 6, October 15–18

This exhibition brings together Paul Lehr’s science fiction paintings with a body of sculpture that remained largely outside of exhibition and public view during his lifetime. While his paintings achieved wide recognition through book covers and magazine illustrations, his sculptural work developed privately over many years. The sculptures were created in isolation in his barn studio in rural Pennsylvania, and range from large wood forms to small, intricate metal constructions. Shown alongside the paintings, they reveal another dimension of Lehr’s creative practice. Together, these works offer a broader understanding of his artistic range and a rare opportunity to experience the full breadth of Lehr’s work.

Paul Lehr (1930–1998) was an artist whose visionary science fiction paintings helped define the visual language of the genre. From the late 1950s through the 1980s, Lehr produced cover art for hundreds of books, including titles by major authors such as Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, and H. G. Wells. This exhibition brings together Lehr’s science fiction paintings with a body of sculpture that remained largely outside of exhibition and public view during his lifetime. The sculptures were created in isolation in his barn studio in rural Pennsylvania, and shown alongside the paintings, they reveal another dimension of Lehr’s creative practice, he developed a substantial body of sculpture, most of which remained unknown to the public. He continued working in relative isolation until his death at age 67.