Avant-Garde USA - Photography Terms & Glossary

Glossary Of Art Terms [1]

Avant-Garde Avant-garde refers to innovative, experimental, and often radical movements or practices that challenge established conventions, norms, and traditions within the realms of art, literature, music, and culture. Emerging at the forefront of cultural change and intellectual inquiry, avant-garde movements seek to break new ground, provoke critical discourse, and expand the boundaries of artistic expression beyond conventional modes of representation and perception.

From the Dadaists and Surrealists of the early 20th century to the Abstract Expressionists, Fluxus artists, and Conceptualists of the postwar era, avant-garde movements have embraced a spirit of rebellion, subversion, and visionary exploration, disrupting entrenched hierarchies of taste, authority, and cultural hegemony while fostering a spirit of creative experimentation and social transformation.