Abstract
The paper examines the reception of avant-gardes in the 1960s. The status of avant-gardes has been changing radically: their position in the canon, the possibilities of their revival or continuity.
Due to a changing political climate, some avant-garde artists have been present in officially published literary and cultural magazines and critical debates in a way that would not be possible before (Cf. several issues of surrealist revue Analogon from 1969). One of the important polemics concerned the relationship between avant-garde and ideology, and how the ideological components influence the aesthetical value of the artworks.
That also partly reflects some of the major topics of Prague spring public discussion. The return of avant-garde artists and ongoing process of liberalization were interrupted before long in the wake of 1968 events.
The paper therefore charters the outcome of the effort to reconstitute critical study of avant-gardes. It raises methodological questions: how to conceptualize the dynamics, and whether other theories may serve as an inspiration for the task (e.g.
Peter Bürger).