Paul Lehr (1930-1998) was an American illustrator, well known for his Science Fiction and Fantasy covers during the 1960s. Along with illustrators like Richard Powers and John Schoenherr, Lehr’s surrealistic works help define that era’s distinctly abstract style.
These are beautiful, thanks for sharing these.
Question: Does anyone know how big these are? The details are stunning.
I disliked Lehr's paperback covers for decades — until I finally saw one in person. The art is stunning, but the covers never came close to doing it justice.
It's funny how seeing an original can change that. I never understood all the fuss about Van Gogh, until I saw an original, and couldn't believe how tactile it felt. Now, even a reproduction of a Van Gogh looks better to me than it before.
I can't say with any accuracy, Will. I've seen a few old covers of his, and they weren't that large, maybe 14×20 inches. But he started to move toward more personal work later on (which much of what you see here is), and I don't know anything about those originals. There is a documentary about him coming out soon, but currently, surprisingly little info about Lehr is available online.
Paul's daughter is working on a documentary… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVa3c6ahL9w
Paul was a giant and one of the most humble guys you would ever want to meet. Thanks for posting these
Powers could be great and so could Schoenherr… but Lehr was something else. Details aside, that surreal tinge coupled with details anchoring the motives as “real” makes it. Plus the sense of color, the brushwork…
I come to think of Chris Foss; some of his works are immortal and so are some of Lehr’s.