French for “advanced guard,” originally used to denote the vanguard of an army and first applied to art in France in the early 19th Century. In reference to art, the term means any artist, movement, or artwork that breaks with precedent and is regarded as innovative and boundaries-pushing. Because of its radical nature and the fact that it challenges existing ideas, processes, and forms, avant-garde art has often been met with resistance and controversy.
Credit: MoMA
