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
Dei Gratia Regina 17th-century Swedish silver medal depicts Karl XI, bearing the inscription "CAROLVS XI DEI GRATIA SVEC GOTH VANDAL REX" (Karl XI, with God's grace, King of the Svears, Goths and Vandals), the reverse depicting Ulrika Eleonora with the inscription "VLRICA ELEONORA DEI GRATIA REGINA SVECIAE" (Ulrika Eleonora, with God's grace, Queen of Sweden). Although some Swedish coins continue to bear the bust of the monarch, the phrase is no longer on the coins. United Kingdom coins have for some time included the phrase "Dei Gratia Regina (or Rex) Fid Def" or some form of it. Current Elizabeth II coins have the