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A Amid those chaotic years following the first world war, while artistic innovation thrived, critics found fascination with the mysteriously named contemporary Tour Donas. “One finds an unusual appeal in Tour Donas’s work that we are not accustomed to artists of his movement,” wrote one, “an element of gentle timidity implying a woman’s touch.” These pieces, was in fact, by a woman, that is Marthe Donas, from Belgium who had taken a non-gendered alias to succeed in the male-dominated art world.

As Tour Donas, the artist had a meteoric rise, before falling into obscurity. Currently, her hometown showcases a significant display positioning her among modernist greats, with Amedeo Modigliani and renowned creators. The exhibition, which opens on Saturday in Antwerp’s premier art museum, features 55 of her works, including cubist artworks in warm colours, glimmering fabric motifs, and geometric abstractions.

Abstract expression is paired with grace,” a specialist noted. We see a real drive for renewal, for innovation … alongside that is this incredible thirst, an appetite for timeless grace.”

Differing from provocative modernists, the association avoided extremism, stated by the exhibition organizer. One of the most prized works on display is the work The Dance, which Donas painted during 1918-1919. It was thought vanished, until found in Japan in preparation for the current show.

Beginnings and Struggles

She came into the world in 1885 to a well-to-do francophone household in Antwerp. An ancestor practiced realism, however, her father was not keen on a career in art; he removed her from training early on following just one month.

Later on, she returned to school, determined to be an artist, following a pivotal incident. She fell off a roof while trying to catch a glimpse of King Albert I, who was visiting Antwerp, breaking through glass on her way down. Her studies were then interrupted by the German invasion of 1914. Although her family left for the Netherlands, she traveled to Dublin, where she studied art and learned how to make glass art. After a spell in Paris, transformative for her style, depleting her resources, she relocated south teaching drawing to a rich lady.

Artistic Breakthrough and Collaboration

She encountered Archipenko on the French Riviera. They quickly bonded. He referred to her as “my best student” and started championing her creations. Donas created paintings with unique contours, works that shunned conventional shapes for uniquely shaped pictures that highlighted cubist alterations.

Today’s non-rectangular works are often attributed to a different pioneer, historians contend she pioneered of her generation to pioneer this “totally different art form”.

Yet her role remained unrecognized. At the time, cubism and abstract art were dominated by men; too intellectual, too calculated, for women.

Appreciation and Influence

Over a hundred years later, Donas is slowly gaining recognition. KMSKA, which reopened in 2022, wants to promote female artists in its displays. Earlier, a single work was held of Donas’s works, which was not always on display.

This event aligns with a rising effort to recover forgotten female talents, including earlier innovators. Similar shows have brought out from storage creations by additional female artists across different styles.

An expert devoted twenty years advocating for the artist, who he admires for “the elegance, the colours, the innovation and the beauty” in her art. A co-curator involved in the project criticises the condescension by her peers. Contrary to belief, she wasn’t “a young pupil” at the time of their meeting, instead an established painter independently.

Later Life and Enduring Impact

The relationship they shared dissolved by the early 1920s. She wed and relocated to rural Belgium; her mentor left for the US. Subsequently, she disappeared from the artistic map for a long period after the 1920s, after she unexpectedly became a mother aged 45. Years afterward, Donas played down their relationship, stating it was just “a brief period with him”.

The current show reveals a much more intense creative spark. Finishing with two works: one by Donas seemingly influenced by his sculpture she kept after the break-up. The dynamic colors and forms from each artwork work together, although specialists emphasize “she created independently, avoiding replication”.

• Donas, Archipenko & La Section d’Or Enchanting Modernism is on view closing in January 2026.