Art for art's sake—the usual English rendering of l'art pour l'art (pronounced 

[lar pur lar]), a French

slogan from the early 19th century—is a phrase that expresses the philosophy that the intrinsic value of
art, and the only 'true' art, is divorced from any didactic, moral, political, or utilitarian function.[1] Such
works are sometimes described as autotelic (from Greek: autoteles, 'complete in itself'),[2] a concept that
has been expanded to embrace "inner-directed" or "self-motivated" human beings.[1]
The term is sometimes used commercially. A Latin version of this phrase, ars gratia artis (Classical
Latin: [ˈars ˈɡraːtia artis]), is used as a motto by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and appears in the scroll around
the roaring head of Leo the Lion in its motion picture logo.