During Amid those unsettled period post the Great War, when creative exploration flourished, critics were captivated by the ambiguously titled modernist the name Tour Donas. “One finds a kind of appeal in the creations of Tour Donas that we are not accustomed to artists of his movement,” remarked an observer, “an element of soft reserve that seems to reveal a feminine sensitivity.” These pieces, was in fact, created by Marthe Donas, namely the Belgian artist, an Antwerp native who had taken a non-gendered alias to succeed in the male-dominated art world.
Under this pseudonym, Marthe enjoyed a brief but dazzling career, then slipping into anonymity. Now, her hometown showcases a significant display establishing her alongside modernist masters, together with Piet Mondrian and other luminaries. This showcase, which opens on Saturday at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts (KMSKA), showcases over fifty pieces, from cubist paintings with rich hues, shimmering impressions of textiles, to flatter abstract pieces.
The feeling of abstraction is paired with refinement,” the curator stated. One finds a true quest for novelty, for innovation … but there is also a powerful yearning, a hunger for classical beauty.”
Differing from the avant-garde extremists, this artistic group were not radicals, stated by the exhibition organizer. Among the highlights in the exhibition is The Dance, painted by the artist over 1918 and 1919. The work was thought vanished, until discovered in Japan ahead of the current show.
Formative Years and Obstacles
She came into the world in 1885 into an affluent French-speaking family in Antwerp. An ancestor had been a realist painter, but Donas’s father opposed his daughter following this path; he withdrew her from training in 1902 following just one month.
A decade later, she resumed her education, committed to her craft, post-accident. She tumbled from a rooftop while attempting to see the monarch, during a royal visit, smashing through a glass ceiling as she descended. Her education were halted by the 1914 invasion. As her relatives escaped for the Netherlands, Marthe went to Dublin, where she studied art and learned how to make glass art. Following time in Paris, which was pivotal for her art, depleting her resources, she moved to the Riviera teaching drawing to an affluent patron.
Innovation and Alliance
The artist connected with Archipenko on the French Riviera. An instant connection formed. He referred to her as “my best student” and started championing her creations. She pioneered unconventionally formed artworks, pieces that rejected conventional shapes in favor of distinctive forms accentuating their cubist distortions.
While modern shaped paintings are frequently credited to another European creator, historians contend Donas was the first of her generation to invent this “totally different art form”.
However, her input remained unrecognized. During that period, cubism and abstract art were seen as male preserves; too intellectual, too logical, for women.
Recognition and Legacy
More than a century later, her work is receiving attention. The museum, recently renovated, wants to promote female artists in the collection. Before the revamp, only one piece was owned from her oeuvre, rarely exhibited.
The showcase aligns with a rising effort to resurrect forgotten female talents, like earlier innovators. Parallel events have brought out from obscurity the works of other pioneers spanning multiple eras.
A specialist dedicated a long time advocating for her work, who he admires for “the grace, the palette, the originality and the beauty” of her creations. A contributor of the exhibition criticises the condescension by her peers. She wasn’t “a young pupil” when she met Archipenko, instead an established painter independently.
Final Chapters and Legacy
The relationship they shared had ended by mid-1921. Donas married and moved to rural Belgium; her mentor left for the US. Then Donas dropped off the artistic map for two decades after the 1920s, following motherhood in mid-life. Later in life, she minimized their relationship, saying it was merely “a few months working in his workshop”.
This presentation reveals a much more intense innovative drive. Finishing with a pair of pieces: one by Donas that appears to have been inspired by his sculpture held onto afterward. The vivid colours and curves of the two works work together, yet observers remark “she created independently, she never copied”.
- Donas, Archipenko & La Section d’Or showcasing modernist charm is at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts until 11 January 2026.
