Eugène Delacroix, School textbook, 1815, Paris, bibliothèque de l’Institut national d’histoire de l’art © INHA

When you see Gribouillage, scribblings, as the title of an exhibition, you are a little disconcerted but also intrigued. And this is what led me to visit the new show at Ecole des Beaux Arts, which mixes 150 drawings by various artists from Raphael to Dubuffet, Leonardo to Cy Twombly and Brassaï. They belong to Ecole des Beaux Arts and Villa Medici, or have been lent by many Italian and French institutions as well as private collectors. The point is to show how scribbling leads to creativity for all generations of artists. Curated by Francesca Alberti from the French Academy in Rome and Diane Bodart from Columbia University, and designed by Isabelle Raymondo, it is clever and surprising, fun and  disconcerting. A true luxury nowadays.

Inge Morath, Alberto Giacometti framing a graffiti on the wall of his parisian studio at 46 rue Hippolyte-Maindron, 1958 © Inge Morath / Magnum Photos

What makes this show so successful is the wealth of the collections of Ecole des Beaux Arts which owns over 450 000 works inherited and constantly completed with contemporary artists who studied at the Ecole. Its library is one of the richest in contemporary books and drawings. But also the long research and sense of humor used by the curators to hang together Helen Levitt‘s New York street children showing their sweet drawings and William Bouguereau‘s portrait of a little girl “A vocation”. As you wander around the walls, excitement and pleasure grow slowly in your heart. There are many caricatures like the self portrait in 1607, of the future Louis XIII at the age of 6 in the margin of Jean Héroard’s book or Carl Engel von der Rabenau‘s drawing of his daughter Anna, showing her own drawing.

Cy Twombly, Delian Ode n°19, August 1961, private collection, Dépôt à la Collection Lambert, Avignon © Cy Twombly Foundation

Cy Twombly, the champion of scribbling is of course well represented with his elegant writings as well as Michaux and Dubuffet in “Drawing at play”. A caricature portrait of Scipione Borgese, by Bernini, is one of the jewels of the show. Pierre Alechinsky’s drawings on hotel bills or ancient manuscripts called ” Found Writings” are hilarious.

Rembrandt, Scribblings with the head of Rembrandt, Portrait, 1632 copper print © Beaux-Arts de Paris

Giovanni Francesco Caroto‘s portrait of a child showing his drawing in 1515, is very strange with the weird smile and globulous eyes of a red headed ambiguous boy. A 16 mm film of Marcel Broodthaers painting in the rain, Saul Steinberg’s calligraphic letter, and later in the show, black walls covered in graffitis photographed by Brassaï create a special contrast with all the works. The last pictures include tattooed buttocks and a ball point pen portrait of Arthur Rimbaud by Stéphane Mandelbaum.

Giovanni Francesco Caroto, Portrait of a child showing a drawing, 1515-1520 Verona, Museo di Castelvecchio © Archivio Fotografico dei Musei Civici, Verona (Gardaphoto, Salò)

The exhibition is located on two floors of quai Malaquais and follows the extraordinary show “Vegetal” of last summer dedicated to jewelry and nature. Produced by Anne Maria Garcia who is responsible of the collections of Beaux Arts, this assemblage of works from the Renaissance to today is both daring and successful. It ia in a way the illustration of Picasso’s words: “It took me a whole life to learn how to draw like children”. At a time when political correctness has polluted all forms of creativity, this collection of “free” drawings is especially welcome.

Until April 30 th, Gribouillage from Leonardo to Cy Twombly, at Ecole des Beaux Arts, 13 quai Malaquais from Wednesday to Sunday 1pm to 7 pm. Open late on Thursdays till 9 pm. You pay what you want.