A major exhibition in Antwerp is shining a light on Marthe Donas, a Belgian modernist who adopted the gender-neutral name Tour Donas to succeed in the male-dominated art world of the early 20th century. The show, at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts (KMSKA), features 55 works and places her alongside artists such as Piet Mondrian, Amedeo Modigliani and Alexander Archipenko.
Donas enjoyed a brief but dazzling career after the First World War, but later fell into obscurity. Critics at the time were intrigued by the mysterious Tour Donas, noting a 'feminine sensitivity' in the work. The exhibition, which opens on Saturday, includes cubist paintings, textile impressions and abstract pieces, highlighting a modernism that combines abstraction with elegance, according to curator Adriaan Gonnissen.
One of the most prized works is 'The Dance', painted in 1918-19, which was considered lost until it was discovered in Japan during preparations for the exhibition. Donas was born in 1885 in Antwerp and initially discouraged from art by her father. She pursued her passion after a life-changing accident, studying in Dublin and Paris before meeting Archipenko in Nice in 1917.
Donas created shaped paintings that shunned traditional rectangles, a form that Gonnissen believes she pioneered. However, her contribution was overlooked as cubism and abstract art were seen as male preserves. The exhibition reflects a growing movement to recover neglected female masters, such as Artemisia Gentileschi and Mary Cassatt.
Art historian Peter Pauwels, who has spent two decades promoting Donas, admires the elegance, colours and originality of her work. The KMSKA, which reopened in 2022 after renovation, aims to promote female artists in its collection.
