: The avant-garde’s true goal was to destroy the "autonomy" of art—the idea that art should exist in its own special sphere (museums, galleries)—to merge it with the "praxis of life".
In his influential 1974 book Theory of the Avant-Garde , German critic Peter Bürger distinguishes between the and the postwar neo-avant-garde . His central thesis is that the original avant-garde (e.g., Dada, Surrealism, Constructivism) was not just another art movement but a fundamental attack on the "institution of art" and the way art is separated from daily life. Key Concepts from Bürger’s Critique Avant-Garde Neo-Avant-Garde (Avant-Garde Critic...
: He describes the postwar "neo-avant-garde" (like Pop Art or Nouveau Réalisme) as a "failed" repetition. In his view, these movements reused avant-garde methods (like the readymade) but as recognized "art," which institutionalized the original shock and turned revolutionary intent into a mere aesthetic style. Critical Responses : The avant-garde’s true goal was to destroy
Bürger’s dismissal of the neo-avant-garde as "hollow repetition" has been heavily debated: Avant-Garde and Neo-Avant-Garde - Monoskop Key Concepts from Bürger’s Critique : He describes
: Bürger argues the historical avant-garde failed because it did not actually change social reality or end the separation of art and life. Instead, it was eventually absorbed by the very institutions it tried to destroy.