James Tobin wrote:

>There is an essay, written a few decades ago, "From Avant-garde to Kitsch,"
>by an important art critic whose name eludes me right now--maybe somebody
>can help me out on this--which addresses precisely this question.  Worth
>reading.  I'll come up with a reference eventually.

I think this must be Clement Greenberg's "Avant-garde and kitsch",
originally published in "Art and Culture" and now also available as part
of his Collected Works.

Philip