Art for art's sake

A slogan translated from the French l'art pour l'art, by the French philosopher Victor Cousin. The phrase expresses the belief held by many writers and artists, especially those associated with Aestheticism, that art needs no justification, that it need serve no political, didactic, or other end.
A slogan meaning that the beauty of the fine arts is reason enough for pursuing them, that art does not have to serve purposes .