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I In the the turbulent period after World War I, while artistic experiment blossomed, art reviewers were intrigued by the ambiguously titled avant-garde the name Tour Donas. “There is a kind of allure in Donas’s art that we are not accustomed to his contemporaries,” wrote one, “a sense of gentle timidity implying a woman’s touch.” The art, in reality, by a woman, that is Marthe Donas, a Belgian who adopted a non-gendered alias to get on in the male-dominated art world.

Under this pseudonym, the artist had a meteoric rise, then slipping into anonymity. Currently, her hometown is hosting an extensive show positioning her in the modernist pantheon, with Alexander Archipenko plus prominent figures. The exhibition, which opens on Saturday at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts (KMSKA), features over fifty pieces, including cubist artworks using vibrant tones, textile-inspired shimmer, and geometric abstractions.

Abstract expression goes hand in hand with elegance,” the curator stated. We see a real drive for renewal, for advancement … yet there exists an immense desire, an appetite for classical beauty.”

Differing from the avant-garde extremists, this artistic group were not radicals, according to the curator. Among the highlights on display is the work The Dance, which Donas painted over 1918 and 1919. The work had been missing, before being located in Japan in preparation for this exhibition.

Beginnings and Struggles

The artist came into the world in 1885 from a prosperous francophone household in the city. A forebear practiced realism, however, her father opposed his daughter following this path; he pulled her out from training early on after a month.

Ten years afterward, Donas enrolled again, determined to be an artist, following a pivotal incident. She tumbled from a rooftop hoping to view the king, during a royal visit, crashing downward during the fall. Her training were then interrupted by the 1914 invasion. While her family fled for the Netherlands, she traveled to Dublin, where she studied art and discovered glass art. After a spell in Paris, transformative for her style, but drained her savings, she relocated south as a drawing instructor to a rich lady.

Artistic Breakthrough and Collaboration

Donas met Archipenko in Nice in 1917. They quickly bonded. He called her “his top pupil” and advocated for her creations. She pioneered her shaped paintings, art that avoided standard rectangular frames opting for irregular outlines that highlighted their cubist distortions.

While modern shaped paintings are frequently credited to another European creator, historians contend Donas was the first of her generation to develop this distinct style.

But her contribution was overlooked. Then, cubist and abstract works were seen as male preserves; too intellectual, too rational, for sensitive women.

Appreciation and Influence

Over a hundred years later, Donas is slowly gaining recognition. KMSKA, recently renovated, seeks to feature women creators within its holdings. Previously, only one piece was owned from her oeuvre, which was not always on display.

This event reflects a growing movement to rediscover overlooked women artists, including pioneers from the past. Other exhibitions have retrieved from storage pieces from other pioneers across different styles.

An expert dedicated a long time trying to bring attention to her work, appreciating “the elegance, the colours, the innovation and the beauty” of her work. A co-curator involved in the project denounces the patronizing attitude of Donas’s contemporaries. She was not “an inexperienced student” at the time of their meeting, but a 32-year old artist independently.

Later Years and Lasting Influence

The partnership of the two artists had ended by mid-1921. She wed and relocated to the Walloon countryside; her mentor left for the US. She then vanished from the art scene for two decades from the late 1920s, after she unexpectedly became a mother in mid-life. Years afterward, Donas played down his influence, stating it was just “a few months working in his workshop”.

This presentation reveals a much more intense creative spark. Concluding with two artworks: a composition by Donas reflecting a piece by Archipenko she kept after the break-up. The bright hues and lines from each artwork work together, yet observers remark “she forged her own path, she didn’t imitate”.

• Donas, Archipenko & La Section d’Or showcasing modernist charm is on view until 11 January 2026.