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The idea that works of art should exist for themselves, without political, social, religious or any other ‘messages’, was prevalent in 19th-century France as a response to realism. It was taken up in Britain at the end of the century by Walter Pater (who coined the phrase ‘art for art\'s sake’), and by adherents of the aesthetic movement. Throughout the 20th century it has been a fundamental tenet (though seldom expressed in so many words) of avant-garde arts movements of every kind, from Dada to Surrealism, from minimalism to the theatre of the absurd. KMcL |
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