Vorkämpfer.
Artists or writers whose ideas are ahead of their time; SYN. vanguard, van.
(French) artists, etc. in forefront of new ideas in the arts
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The cutting edge in fashion, the arts, etc.
In the arts, those artists or works that are in the forefront of new developments in their media. The term was introduced (as was “reactionary”) after the French Revolution, when it was used to describe any socialist political movement.