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I Amid those unsettled period post World War I, as artistic innovation flourished, commentators were captivated by the mysteriously named avant-garde the name Tour Donas. “We observe an unusual appeal in Tour Donas’s work unfamiliar in seeing in painters of his school,” remarked an observer, “a sense of modest hesitation that seems to reveal a feminine sensitivity.” His work, in reality, by a woman, namely Marthe Donas, a Belgian who adopted a gender-neutral name to navigate the male-dominated art world.

Under this pseudonym, the artist experienced a short yet brilliant period, prior to fading from view. Today, her hometown showcases a significant display to place her among modernist greats, alongside Piet Mondrian as well as prominent figures. The display, launching shortly in Antwerp’s premier art museum, showcases over fifty pieces, including cubist artworks in warm colours, shimmering impressions of textiles, and geometric abstractions.

The feeling of abstraction goes hand in hand with grace,” the curator stated. We see a true quest for novelty, for innovation … but there is also this incredible thirst, a hunger for classical beauty.”

Unlike provocative modernists, this artistic group eschewed rebellion, as per the curator. A standout piece in the exhibition is the work The Dance, painted by the artist over 1918 and 1919. It was thought vanished, until found in Japan ahead of the Antwerp display.

Beginnings and Struggles

Marthe Donas came into the world in 1885 into an affluent francophone household in the city. A forebear practiced realism, but Donas’s father did not support a career in art; he withdrew her from art school in 1902 very quickly.

Later on, she returned to school, committed to her craft, post-accident. She fell off a roof hoping to view King Albert I, who was visiting Antwerp, smashing through a glass ceiling on her way down. Her training were then interrupted by wartime events. Although her family left for the Netherlands, Donas headed to Ireland, where she enrolled in art school and learned how to make stained glass. After a spell in Paris, crucial for her development, yet exhausted her funds, she relocated south teaching drawing to an affluent patron.

Artistic Breakthrough and Collaboration

She encountered Archipenko during 1917 in Nice. They quickly bonded. He referred to her as “my best student” and started championing her art. She produced unconventionally formed artworks, pieces that rejected conventional shapes opting for irregular outlines emphasizing their cubist distortions.

Today’s non-rectangular works are frequently credited to the Hungarian artist, experts believe she pioneered in that era to pioneer this distinct style.

Yet her role was overlooked. At the time, cubist and abstract works were dominated by men; too intellectual, too rational, for women.

Recognition and Legacy

More than a century later, she is finally being acknowledged. KMSKA, recently renovated, seeks to feature female artists in the collection. Earlier, only one piece was owned of Donas’s works, which was not always on display.

The exhibition aligns with a rising effort to recover long-neglected female masters, such as pioneers from the past. Similar shows have retrieved from storage pieces from more women spanning multiple eras.

An art historian has spent two decades trying to bring attention to her work, who he admires for “the grace, the colours, the innovation and the beauty” of her creations. A contributor of the exhibition denounces the patronizing attitude by her peers. Contrary to belief, she wasn’t “a young pupil” during their collaboration, rather a mature creator independently.

Final Chapters and Legacy

The connection of the two artists concluded around 1921. She wed and relocated to the Walloon countryside; her mentor left for the US. Then Donas dropped off the art scene for a long period from the late 1920s, following motherhood at age 45. Years afterward, Donas played down their relationship, stating it was just “a brief period at the sculptor’s studio”.

This presentation uncovers a far deeper creative spark. It ends with two artworks: one by Donas reflecting an Archipenko sculpture she kept after the break-up. The bright hues and lines from each artwork are in harmony, but experts note “she created independently, avoiding replication”.

• Donas, Archipenko & La Section d’Or highlighting captivating art is on view through early 2026.