Penn College welcomes visitors to gallery reception, lecture

Pennsylvania College of Technology recently welcomed guests to a reception for “Paul Lehr: A Hidden Universe” at The Gallery at Penn College. Eighty of the approximately 100 visitors also attended a lecture offered by the late artist’s daughter, Diana Lehr.

Diana is a multidisciplinary artist based in Hawaii and Pennsylvania. Her practice includes painting, light-based sculpture and time-based media.

Diana believes the paintings included in her father’s exhibit represent some of his strongest work. Although much of Paul’s science-fiction artwork from the late 1950s through the late 1980s appeared on book covers for works by Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein and H.G. Wells, the exhibit reveals a lesser-known side of his artistic practice.
During his later years, Paul spent considerable time completing some of the uncommissioned illustrations on display in the gallery. Those who attended the lecture also were treated to images of other media, including copper plate etchings, which are not included in the exhibition.

“Diana Lehr shared stories of her father, his artistic process and the personal history behind many of the works on view,” said Penny G. Lutz, gallery director. “Paul Lehr’s creative output was tremendous, and the works in the show are just a small part of his artistic legacy. The response to this exhibition has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Born in 1930, Paul was an artist whose visionary science-fiction paintings helped define the visual language of the genre. He studied art history at Wittenberg University before attending the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.

While his paintings achieved wide recognition through book covers and magazine illustrations, his 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 his creative practice.

The exhibition remains open through Nov. 22.

The Gallery at Penn College is open from 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, noon to 4 p.m. Fridays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. It is closed on Mondays and Saturdays.

In addition to serving as an educational resource for Penn College students and a cultural asset to the college and community, The Gallery at Penn College is dedicated to promoting art appreciation through exhibitions of contemporary art.

For information about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education, email the Admissions & Secondary Partnerships Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.