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I In the the unsettled years following the Great War, while artistic innovation blossomed, commentators were intrigued by the mysteriously named modernist artist Tour Donas. “We observe a certain appeal in Donas’s art that we are not accustomed to artists of his movement,” remarked an observer, “an element of modest hesitation implying a feminine sensitivity.” His work, was in fact, by a woman, that is Marthe Donas, an Antwerp native using an androgynous pseudonym to navigate the male-dominated art world.

Under this pseudonym, she had a meteoric rise, before falling into obscurity. Today, the city of her birth is hosting a major exhibition establishing her alongside modernist masters, with Amedeo Modigliani and other luminaries. The display, starting this weekend at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts (KMSKA), highlights 55 of her works, including cubist artworks in warm colours, textile-inspired shimmer, and geometric abstractions.

“A sense of abstraction goes hand in hand with elegance,” a specialist commented. We see a true quest for novelty, for innovation … alongside that is an immense desire, an appetite for timeless grace.”

Differing from the avant-garde extremists, this artistic group avoided extremism, stated by the exhibition organizer. Among the highlights on display is the work The Dance, which Donas painted in 1918-19. It had been missing, before being located in Japan ahead of this exhibition.

Formative Years and Obstacles

The artist came into the world in 1885 from a prosperous family speaking French in Antwerp. A forebear was a realist artist, however, her father opposed her artistic ambitions; he removed her from training in 1902 very quickly.

A decade later, she resumed her education, determined to be an artist, following a pivotal incident. A fall from a roof while attempting to see the king, during a royal visit, smashing through a glass ceiling on her way down. Her education were halted by the 1914 invasion. As her relatives escaped for the Netherlands, Donas headed to Ireland, where she studied art and discovered glass art. Following time in Paris, crucial for her development, depleting her resources, she relocated south as an art tutor for a wealthy woman.

Creative Evolution and Partnership

The artist connected with Archipenko on the French Riviera. An instant connection formed. He called her “the finest learner” and began to promote her creations. She produced her shaped paintings, art that avoided traditional rectangles for uniquely shaped pictures that highlighted their cubist distortions.

While modern shaped paintings are often attributed to a different pioneer, historians contend she led the way among her peers to develop this distinct style.

However, her input was ignored. During that period, cubist and abstract works were dominated by men; too intellectual, too rational, for women.

Rediscovery and Impact

Now, after decades, her work is receiving attention. KMSKA, which reopened in 2022, aims to highlight female artists in the collection. Earlier, the museum had only one from her oeuvre, infrequently shown.

This event reflects a growing movement to resurrect overlooked women artists, like other historical figures. Parallel events have unveiled from dusty storerooms creations by more women from various movements.

An expert has spent two decades trying to bring attention to Donas, praising “the grace, the colours, the innovation and the beauty” of her work. A co-curator for the show questions the dismissive treatment from her era. She wasn’t “a young pupil” when she met Archipenko, rather a mature creator in her own right.

Final Chapters and Legacy

The partnership of the two artists had ended by mid-1921. Donas married and moved to the Walloon countryside; he moved overseas. Subsequently, she disappeared from public view for twenty years starting in the 1920s, when she had a child in mid-life. Years afterward, Donas played down the connection with Archipenko, stating it was just “a few months working at the sculptor’s studio”.

This exhibition reveals a much more intense creative spark. It ends with a pair of pieces: her work that appears to have been inspired by his sculpture held onto afterward. The vivid colours and curves in both pieces work together, but experts note “she does something of her own, avoiding replication”.

• This collection Enchanting Modernism is hosted in Antwerp through early 2026.