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During n those chaotic era post the Great War, when artistic experiment thrived, critics found fascination with the ambiguously titled modernist artist Tour Donas. “There is an unusual charm in Tour Donas’s work rarely seen among his contemporaries,” remarked an observer, “an element of gentle timidity suggesting delicate femininity.” His work, in reality, created by Marthe Donas, namely the Belgian artist, an Antwerp native who had taken a gender-neutral name to succeed in the male-dominated art world.

Using this identity, the artist experienced a short yet brilliant period, prior to fading from view. Currently, the city of her birth presents a major exhibition positioning her alongside modernist masters, together with Amedeo Modigliani as well as other luminaries. This showcase, launching shortly in Antwerp’s premier art museum, features numerous creations, from cubist paintings in warm colours, glimmering fabric motifs, to flatter abstract pieces.

Abstract expression is paired with grace,” the curator stated. We see a genuine push for innovation, for change … yet there exists a powerful yearning, a hunger for traditional aesthetics.”

Differing from the avant-garde extremists, this artistic group were not radicals, stated by the exhibition organizer. A standout piece on display is the work The Dance, which Donas painted during 1918-1919. It had been missing, until discovered in Japan in preparation for the current show.

Early Life and Challenges

She entered life in 1885 into an affluent family speaking French in the city. A forebear practiced realism, yet her parent did not support her artistic ambitions; he withdrew her from training early on very quickly.

Ten years afterward, she resumed her education, committed to her craft, following a pivotal incident. She tumbled from a rooftop hoping to view King Albert I, on a trip to the city, breaking through glass as she descended. Her studies ceased due to wartime events. As her relatives escaped to the Netherlands, Marthe went to Dublin, pursuing artistic training mastering the craft of stained glass creation. Post-Paris stay, which was pivotal for her art, yet exhausted her funds, she moved to the Riviera teaching drawing to a rich lady.

Creative Evolution and Partnership

The artist connected with Archipenko on the French Riviera. They quickly bonded. He referred to her as “my best student” and began to promote her art. She pioneered unconventionally formed artworks, works that shunned conventional shapes in favor of distinctive forms that highlighted their distorted perspectives.

Today’s non-rectangular works are often attributed to the Hungarian artist, curators argue Donas was the first of her generation to invent this innovative approach.

However, her input was ignored. At the time, cubist and abstract works were seen as male preserves; overly cerebral, too rational, for sensitive women.

Recognition and Legacy

Now, after decades, she is finally being acknowledged. KMSKA, freshly restored, seeks to feature women creators in its displays. Previously, the museum had only one of Donas’s works, infrequently shown.

This event mirrors an expanding trend to recover long-neglected female masters, like pioneers from the past. Other exhibitions have unveiled from dusty storerooms the works of other pioneers spanning multiple eras.

An art historian has spent two decades advocating for Donas, appreciating “the elegance, the colours, the originality and the aesthetic” in her art. An organizer involved in the project criticises the condescension by her peers. She was not “an inexperienced student” at the time of their meeting, but a 32-year old artist with her own voice.

Final Chapters and Legacy

The relationship they shared had ended by mid-1921. After marrying, she moved to the Walloon countryside; her mentor left for the US. Then Donas dropped off public view for a long period starting in the 1920s, after she unexpectedly became a mother at age 45. Decades later, she understated his influence, claiming she had only spent “a brief period at the sculptor’s studio”.

This exhibition uncovers a far deeper artistic energy. Concluding with a pair of pieces: one by Donas seemingly influenced by an Archipenko sculpture held onto afterward. The vivid colours and curves in both pieces work together, although specialists emphasize “she forged her own path, avoiding replication”.

• This collection showcasing modernist charm is hosted in Antwerp until 11 January 2026.