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During n those unsettled period after World War I, when artistic experiment flourished, commentators were captivated by the mysteriously named avant-garde the name Tour Donas. “We observe an unusual allure in Donas’s art unfamiliar in artists of his movement,” remarked an observer, “a kind of gentle timidity that seems to reveal a feminine sensitivity.” These pieces, in reality, created by Marthe Donas, that is Donas herself, a Belgian using a gender-neutral name to succeed in the male-dominated art world.

As Tour Donas, the artist experienced a short yet brilliant period, then slipping into anonymity. Now, the city of her birth presents an extensive show to place her among modernist greats, together with Alexander Archipenko and prominent figures. This showcase, which opens on Saturday at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts (KMSKA), showcases 55 of her works, including cubist artworks using vibrant tones, textile-inspired shimmer, and geometric abstractions.

“A sense of abstraction complements refinement,” a specialist commented. One finds a true quest for novelty, for innovation … yet there exists an immense desire, an appetite for classical beauty.”

In contrast to the avant-garde extremists, this artistic group were not radicals, according to the exhibition organizer. One of the most prized works in the exhibition 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.

Formative Years and Obstacles

The artist came into the world in 1885 to a well-to-do family speaking French in Antwerp. A forebear practiced realism, but Donas’s father did not support a career in art; he pulled her out from art school early on following just one month.

Ten years afterward, Donas enrolled again, set on becoming a painter, after a life-changing accident. She fell off a roof while attempting to see King Albert I, who was visiting Antwerp, smashing through a glass ceiling during the fall. Her education were then interrupted by the 1914 invasion. As her relatives escaped for the Netherlands, Donas headed to Ireland, pursuing artistic training and learned how to make stained glass creation. Following time in Paris, which was pivotal for her art, depleting her resources, she relocated south as an art tutor to an affluent patron.

Creative Evolution and Partnership

The artist connected with Archipenko on the French Riviera. The pair soon clicked. He referred to her as “his top pupil” and started championing her creations. She produced unconventionally formed artworks, works that shunned traditional rectangles for uniquely shaped pictures accentuating cubist alterations.

Today’s non-rectangular works are often attributed to the Hungarian artist, experts believe she led the way of her generation to pioneer this distinct style.

Yet her role was ignored. At the time, cubist and abstract works were seen as male preserves; too intellectual, too logical, for women.

Rediscovery and Impact

Now, after decades, Donas is slowly gaining recognition. The museum, freshly restored, wants to promote female artists within its holdings. Previously, a single work was held from her oeuvre, infrequently shown.

The exhibition reflects a growing movement to rediscover forgotten female talents, such as earlier innovators. Similar shows have retrieved from storage creations by more women from various movements.

An art historian has spent two decades trying to bring attention to the artist, who he admires for “the grace, the colours, the originality and the aesthetic” of her work. An organizer of the exhibition criticises the condescension from her era. Contrary to belief, she wasn’t “an inexperienced student” when she met Archipenko, instead an established painter with her own voice.

Later Life and Enduring Impact

The connection of the two artists dissolved by the early 1920s. After marrying, she moved to the Walloon countryside; Archipenko emigrated to America. Subsequently, she disappeared from the artistic map for two decades after the 1920s, when she had a child in mid-life. Decades later, she understated their relationship, stating it was just “a short time at the sculptor’s studio”.

This exhibition reveals a much more intense artistic energy. Finishing with two artworks: her work seemingly influenced by his sculpture she kept after the break-up. The vivid colours and curves in both pieces complement each other, but experts note “she does something of her own, avoiding replication”.

• The exhibition highlighting captivating art is at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts closing in January 2026.