: 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.
Bürger’s dismissal of the neo-avant-garde as "hollow repetition" has been heavily debated: Avant-Garde and Neo-Avant-Garde - Monoskop 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 : Bürger argues the historical avant-garde failed because