Art for art's sake Art for art's sake "Art for art's sake" is the usual English rendering of a French slogan from the early 19th century, "l'art pour l'art", and expresses a philosophy that the intrinsic value of art, and the only "true" art, is divorced from any didactic, moral, or utilitarian function. Such works are sometimes described as "autotelic", from the Greek "autoteles", "complete in itself", a concept that has been expanded to embrace "inner-directed" or "self-motivated" human beings. The term is sometimes used commercially. A Latin version of this phrase ("ARS GRATIA ARTIS") is used as a motto by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and appears
Artis the Spoonman a major artist, appearing on stage with Frank Zappa in Eugene, Oregon, and at New York's Palladium, in 1981. In 1992 Artis made a guest appearance, (as local talent), at Bumbershoot, Seattle, which that year featured a lineup of acts including Soundgarden, who were to become instrumental in bringing Artis to the attention of a wider audience. In 1993 he published a compilation of his poems and short stories called "Artis-Aspirations to Manifestations from the Womb to the Void". In 1994, an NPR's "Morning Edition" focused on him and his artistic rejection of material values. His song "Wake Up Call"