ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts to fill the gaps between art and society, or of art and social change: the neglect of art movements considered as social movements. Art movements shape the contours of society and constitute a large part of its culture. They make up a large part of society's reflexivity, may be themselves or may parallel so called value-oriented movements, are significant forms of cultural and symbolic resistance to hegemonic lifestyle ideas and even seek to displace or transcend more conventional forms of political contestation. The mainstream literature on the sociology of social movements has somewhat mysteriously ignored art movements as being of relevance to social movement theory. The highly politicized and self-consciously social themes of the work of the Mexican Muralists positions them as forming perhaps the most explicitly social movement amongst modern art movements.
