Unveiling a Pioneering Artist: A Belgian Talent Shines Again
During n the chaotic era post World War I, as artistic experiment flourished, commentators were captivated by the mysteriously named contemporary Tour Donas. “There is an unusual appeal in Tour Donas’s work rarely seen among his contemporaries,” remarked an observer, “a kind of gentle timidity implying a woman’s touch.” The art, actually, her work, specifically Marthe Donas, a Belgian who adopted an androgynous pseudonym to navigate the male-dominated art world.
As Tour Donas, Marthe had a meteoric rise, before falling into obscurity. Today, her hometown is hosting a significant display to place her in the modernist pantheon, together with Amedeo Modigliani plus prominent figures. The exhibition, starting this weekend at KMSKA, highlights 55 of her works, from cubist paintings with rich hues, textile-inspired shimmer, to flatter abstract pieces.
“A sense of abstraction is paired with refinement,” the curator stated. One finds a genuine push for innovation, for innovation … yet there exists this incredible thirst, a hunger for classical beauty.”
Unlike the avant-garde extremists, this artistic group eschewed rebellion, as per the art historian. One of the most prized works on display is The Dance, painted by the artist during 1918-1919. It was thought vanished, until found in Japan ahead of the current show.
Formative Years and Obstacles
Marthe Donas entered life in 1885 to a well-to-do French-speaking family in the city. An ancestor had been a realist painter, however, her father opposed his daughter following this path; he removed her from her studies in 1902 following just one month.
Later on, she resumed her education, committed to her craft, following a pivotal incident. She fell off a roof while trying to catch a glimpse of the monarch, during a royal visit, breaking through glass as she descended. Her training were then interrupted by wartime events. While her family fled for the Netherlands, Marthe went to Dublin, where she studied art mastering the craft of stained glass. Post-Paris stay, which was pivotal for her art, but drained her savings, she moved to the Riviera as a drawing instructor for a wealthy woman.
Artistic Breakthrough and Collaboration
She encountered Archipenko in Nice in 1917. They quickly bonded. He called her “my best student” and began to promote her creations. She produced unconventionally formed artworks, works that shunned traditional rectangles opting for irregular outlines accentuating their cubist distortions.
Today’s non-rectangular works are frequently credited to the Hungarian artist, curators argue she led the way in that era to invent this distinct style.
Yet her role was ignored. During that period, modernist movements were dominated by men; excessively rational, too logical, for women.
Recognition and Legacy
Now, after decades, she is finally being acknowledged. The institution, freshly restored, wants to promote women creators in the collection. Before the revamp, the museum had only one from her oeuvre, infrequently shown.
The exhibition reflects a growing movement to rediscover long-neglected female masters, including earlier innovators. Other exhibitions have brought out from dusty storerooms the works of additional female artists from various movements.
An art historian has spent two decades trying to bring attention to her work, praising “the elegance, the colours, the innovation and the beauty” of her work. A co-curator for the show questions the dismissive treatment from her era. She was not “an inexperienced student” during their collaboration, instead an established painter independently.
Final Chapters and Legacy
The relationship between Donas and Archipenko dissolved by the early 1920s. She wed and relocated to rural Belgium; he moved overseas. Subsequently, she disappeared from the artistic map for twenty years starting in the 1920s, after she unexpectedly became a mother aged 45. Years afterward, she understated the connection with Archipenko, saying it was merely “a few months working with him”.
The current show displays a stronger creative spark. It ends with two artworks: one by Donas reflecting an Archipenko sculpture held onto afterward. The bright hues and lines of the two works are in harmony, but experts note “she does something of her own, avoiding replication”.
- Donas, Archipenko & La Section d’Or Enchanting Modernism is hosted in Antwerp until 11 January 2026.
