How Avant-Garde Art Destroyed Itself

The avant-garde movement began as a fierce rebellion against mainstream pop culture. Ironically, by the 1970s, it had become so absorbed by the very culture it hated that critics declared the entire art form extinct.

Initially, artists used experimental music and literature to strictly oppose commercial trends in New York City. Over time, these boundaries blurred as mass media began adopting avant-garde styles for advertising and entertainment. Eventually, the movement lost its rebellious edge and merged completely into the mainstream. This transformation turned a radical challenge to society into a standard piece of modern culture.