noun
avant-garde art
Refers to experimental, innovative, or non-traditional art movements, especially in the 20th century. Often used in art criticism and history.
彼は前衛美術の展覧会をよく訪れる。
He often visits exhibitions of avant-garde art.
前衛美術は時に理解されにくい。
Avant-garde art is sometimes difficult to understand.
現代美術 (contemporary art) is broader and includes art being made today, while 前衛美術 specifically emphasizes experimental, cutting-edge, or radical approaches, often historically associated with early 20th-century movements.
Compound of 前衛 (zen'ei, 'vanguard, avant-garde') and 美術 (bijutsu, 'art, fine arts'). The term is a direct adaptation of the Western concept of 'avant-garde art'.