Steve Lehman is an American-born conceptual artist whose oeuvre consists of photographs, videos, collages, drawings, writings, sculpture, objects, paintings and installations.
[1] Lehman’s work is distinct because of his ability to “sample” other artists, weave together many types of art and merge different disciplines.
[6] Years later he wrote in the introduction to The Tibetans: A Struggle Survive, “Immediately I understood the implications of their (monks) actions and knew they were either going to be shot dead in the street or imprisoned.
He also showed his photographs to legislators and had an exhibit on Capitol Hill sponsored by the late Congressman Tom Lantos and the Congressional Human Rights Caucus.
[12] In a review of his book The Tibetans: A Struggle To Survive, for Tricycle Anne Seidlitz writes, "Steve Lehman expands the boundaries of his field.
He distinguished himself because his ability to create the necessary balance —he made complex political stories accessible and informative without trivializing the subject matter.
The Dalai Lama wrote of his work, ”...the pictures in this book, The Tibetans: A Struggle to Survive, vividly reveal how much has changed in Tibet under Chinese rule.
In his book The Tibetans: A Struggle to Survive, Lehman made images in at least 20 different styles of photography — he would use color, black and white film, point and shoot, single lens reflex and medium format cameras, found pictures and then weave everything together with relevant design, text, and collages.
Lehman’s multimedia book garnered critical praise for its brilliant design, beautiful photography, and great reporting.
His thought provoking photographs frequently appeared in magazines such as Newsweek, The New Yorker, Time, Entertainment Weekly, U.S. News & World Report, Der Spiegel, L’Express and Stern.
[21] Some consider him to be the most significant photographer of his generation and Dr. Robert Coles, the founding editor of Doubletake Magazine, anointed him as such by writing wonderful introductions for both his books.
[26] Over the course of his career, he photographed four presidents, the Pope, numerous heads of state, several Nobel Prize winners and several celebrities for the world’s most prominent magazines.
During the military takeover in Burma, he was with Aung San Suu Kyi in her home and the first photographer to portray her for a major magazine.
[27] When Vaclav Havel began to lead the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia after his release from prison, Lehman was on the spot and made one of the most moving news pictures of all time.
Though rarely home, he was based in Los Angeles in the 90’s and actually lived in the same Hollywood apartment building as artist Mike Kelley did.
The building is known to have housed many creative people, including Steve Lehman’s neighbor Elizabeth Leustig, the late casting director (A River Runs Through It, Dances with Wolves),[31] and the actor, Bill Wintersole.
[38] Mounted atop Rudolf Stingel’s aluminum covered Celotex insulation panels, his show boldly confronted the idea of museums and galleries defining who and what is important in art.
One young patron who appears in these rare videos exclaimed, “It’s awesome, it’s really great you put it up.” Lehman is known to be prolific but often prefers not to exhibit his work and displays it in non-traditional ways.