Lively prose addressed directly to teenagers claims that it's young people who take the most risks, who see the furthest, and who make the most challenging art. From the introductory summary to the final chapter-by-chapter listings of biographical dates and detailed source notes, Aronson brings insight and order to a subject that--according to the uninformed--often lacks both elements. Aronson's passion for both the avant-garde and for cultural history are a good match. He asserts that some avant-garde images have gradually made their way into the cultural mainstream, even though initially some were created at considerable risk, aesthetically and even politically. The book is illustrated with a wide variety of interestingly captioned artwork reproduced in black and white. All but one of the 14 chapters begins with an appealing suggestion of specific music to which one might listen while reading about avant-garde art. Few can remain neutral when confronted by avant-garde art (that's the idea, after all), or even while reading Aronson's blend of fact and opinion about this art. Rather than lifting fragments out their cultural history context, it's essential to consider the whole of this exciting, marvelously written volume. (Age 13-adult)

In the army, the advance guard is the first wave of soldiers who rush into enemy territory, risking their lives to map out the terrain. In the arts, the avant-garde consists of people who have devoted their talents, even their lives, to seeing the future and to confronting others with their visions. This intriguing introduction to modern art examines the avant-garde from its nineteenth-century origins in Paris to its meaning and influence today. It presents the visionaries who took the greatest risks, who saw the furthest, and who made the most challenging art-art that changed how we imagine our world. From cubism to pop art and beyond, this is the story not only of those risk takers, but of their creations and of the times in which they lived. Notes, bibliography, index.