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A Amid those turbulent period following the first world war, when artistic experiment flourished, commentators found fascination with the ambiguously titled contemporary Tour Donas. “There is an unusual charm in the creations of Tour Donas unfamiliar in his contemporaries,” remarked an observer, “a sense of modest hesitation suggesting a feminine sensitivity.” His work, actually, created by Marthe Donas, namely the Belgian artist, a Belgian who had taken an androgynous pseudonym to succeed in the art scene dominated by men.

As Tour Donas, Marthe experienced a short yet brilliant period, prior to fading from view. Now, the city of her birth presents an extensive show establishing her in the modernist pantheon, alongside Alexander Archipenko and renowned creators. This showcase, launching shortly in Antwerp’s premier art museum, features over fifty pieces, ranging from cubist compositions in warm colours, textile-inspired shimmer, and geometric abstractions.

“A sense of abstraction is paired with refinement,” the curator commented. One finds a real drive for renewal, for advancement … but there is also an immense desire, a hunger for classical beauty.”

Differing from provocative modernists, La Section d’Or avoided extremism, according to the curator. Among the highlights in the exhibition is titled The Dance, painted by the artist in 1918-19. This piece had been missing, before being located in Japan ahead of this exhibition.

Early Life and Challenges

She was born in 1885 into an affluent family speaking French in the city. An ancestor had been a realist painter, yet her parent opposed a career in art; he withdrew her from training early on after a month.

Ten years afterward, she returned to school, determined to be an artist, following a pivotal incident. A fall from a roof while trying to catch a glimpse of the monarch, on a trip to the city, crashing downward during the fall. Her studies were then interrupted by wartime events. While her family fled for the Netherlands, Donas headed to Ireland, where she studied art and discovered stained glass. Following time in Paris, transformative for her style, depleting her resources, she relocated south as an art tutor to a rich lady.

Innovation and Alliance

Donas met Archipenko on the French Riviera. They quickly bonded. He described her as “my best student” and advocated for her art. She produced her shaped paintings, art that avoided standard rectangular frames opting for irregular outlines that highlighted cubist alterations.

Today’s non-rectangular works usually associate with a different pioneer, experts believe Donas was the first in that era to invent this innovative approach.

But her contribution remained unrecognized. Then, cubist and abstract works were dominated by men; excessively rational, too rational, for women.

Appreciation and Influence

More than a century later, Donas is slowly gaining recognition. The museum, which reopened in 2022, aims to highlight artists who are women within its holdings. Previously, a single work was held by Donas, infrequently shown.

The showcase mirrors an expanding trend to recover overlooked women artists, like other historical figures. Similar shows have retrieved from obscurity creations by more women across different styles.

An expert dedicated a long time trying to bring attention to her work, who he admires for “the elegance, the colours, the originality and the beauty” of her work. A contributor of the exhibition denounces the patronizing attitude from her era. Contrary to belief, she wasn’t “an inexperienced student” during their collaboration, instead an established painter independently.

Later Life and Enduring Impact

The partnership of the two artists dissolved by the early 1920s. After marrying, she moved to rural Belgium; he moved overseas. Then Donas dropped off the artistic map for twenty years from the late 1920s, following motherhood aged 45. Years afterward, she understated the connection with Archipenko, claiming she had only spent “a brief period in his workshop”.

The current show uncovers a far deeper creative spark. Concluding with two works: a composition by Donas that appears to have been inspired by a piece by Archipenko she kept after the break-up. The vivid colours and curves in both pieces are in harmony, yet observers remark “she created independently, avoiding replication”.

• The exhibition showcasing modernist charm is at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts closing in January 2026.