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I Amid the unsettled years following the first world war, when artistic experiment thrived, commentators were intrigued by the mysteriously named contemporary the name Tour Donas. “There is a certain appeal in the creations of Tour Donas that we are not accustomed to artists of his movement,” noted a critic, “an element of modest hesitation suggesting delicate femininity.” The art, actually, created by Marthe Donas, specifically Donas herself, an Antwerp native using a gender-neutral name to navigate the male-dominated art world.

Using this identity, she had a meteoric rise, before falling into obscurity. Currently, her hometown is hosting an extensive show to place her among modernist greats, alongside Alexander Archipenko as well as other luminaries. The exhibition, which opens on Saturday in Antwerp’s premier art museum, showcases over fifty pieces, including cubist artworks in warm colours, glimmering fabric motifs, and geometric abstractions.

The feeling of abstraction is paired with elegance,” a specialist stated. One finds a real drive for renewal, for advancement … but there is also an immense desire, an appetite for timeless grace.”

In contrast to more radical artists, this artistic group were not radicals, according to the exhibition organizer. One of the most prized works featured is the work The Dance, which Donas painted over 1918 and 1919. This piece was thought vanished, until found in Japan while organizing this exhibition.

Early Life and Challenges

Marthe Donas came into the world in 1885 to a well-to-do francophone household in Antwerp. An ancestor practiced realism, however, her father did not support his daughter following this path; he removed her from art school in 1902 following just one month.

Ten years afterward, Donas enrolled again, committed to her craft, post-accident. She tumbled from a rooftop while trying to catch a glimpse of the monarch, who was visiting Antwerp, smashing through a glass ceiling on her way down. Her education ceased due to wartime events. As her relatives escaped across the border, Donas headed to Ireland, where she enrolled in art school mastering the craft of stained glass. Following time in Paris, which was pivotal for her art, depleting her resources, she went to the French Riviera as a drawing instructor to an affluent patron.

Artistic Breakthrough and Collaboration

She encountered Archipenko in Nice in 1917. They quickly bonded. He called her “the finest learner” and started championing her creations. She pioneered paintings with unique contours, pieces that rejected conventional shapes for uniquely shaped pictures that highlighted cubist alterations.

While modern shaped paintings are frequently credited to a different pioneer, curators argue she led the way in that era to invent this “totally different art form”.

But her contribution remained unrecognized. Then, modernist movements were seen as male preserves; overly cerebral, too logical, for female artists.

Recognition and Legacy

More than a century later, Donas is slowly gaining recognition. KMSKA, freshly restored, seeks to feature female artists in the collection. Earlier, a single work was held from her oeuvre, which was not always on display.

This event mirrors an expanding trend to rediscover overlooked women artists, like other historical figures. Similar shows have retrieved from obscurity the works of more women from various movements.

An expert has spent two decades working to promote the artist, praising “the grace, the colours, the innovation and the aesthetic” of her creations. A co-curator for the show denounces the patronizing attitude by her peers. She wasn’t “a novice” at the time of their meeting, rather a mature creator with her own voice.

Final Chapters and Legacy

The connection they shared concluded around 1921. Donas married and moved to the Walloon countryside; he moved overseas. She then vanished from the artistic map for a long period from the late 1920s, after she unexpectedly became a mother in mid-life. Years afterward, she minimized their relationship, claiming she had only spent “a brief period in his workshop”.

The current show uncovers a far deeper innovative drive. Finishing with two works: her work reflecting his sculpture she retained post-separation. The bright hues and lines in both pieces complement each other, yet observers remark “she does something of her own, avoiding replication”.

• The exhibition highlighting captivating art is hosted in Antwerp through early 2026.