[1] Lehrer came to prominence in the 1980s and 90s for his attempts at capturing the shape of thought and speech on the printed page in his books and performance scores characterized by polyvalent narratives and expressionistic typography.

[6][7][8] In November 2019, Lehrer received the Lifetime Achievement Ladislav Sutner Prize in Czech Republic for "his pioneering work in Visual Literature and Design".

Together with Judith Sloan, Lehrer founded EarSay Inc. in 1999, an artist-driven, non-profit arts organization in Queens, New York.

[12][13][14] His work explores the vagaries and luminescence of character, the relationships between social structures and the individual, and the pathos and absurdity of life.

His work tackles subjects such as the immigrant experience, the line between madness and brilliance, war and peace, the creative process, and surveillance.