In the early 20th century women struggled to be taken seriously as artists since the male-dominated academies, galleries and critic scene discounted their art as amateurish. To avoid being rejected, numerous women artists adopted pseudonyms that were either male or at least ambiguous. One of the latter was Marthe aka Tour Donas (1885-1967) who literally fought her way into art: born to wealthy family in Antwerp, Belgium, her father wasn’t happy with her attending art school and in 1902 removed her after just one month; twelve years later the outbreak of WWI gave her the chance to move to Dublin, away from her family, and to finally enroll at art school. A pivotal encounter took place in Nice in 1917 when Marthe met Alexander Archipenko, became his lover and, for the lack of a better word, student. At that time she created shaped paintings with which she left behind the rectangular canvas towards uniquely shaped ones that also gave formal expression to her Cubist-inspired pictorial language. But despite Archipenko’s support her work remained unperceived, her contribution to cubism and abstract art overlooked.
At long last, the KMSKA in Antwerp with „Donas, Archipenko & La Section d'Or. Enchanting Modernism“ until January 11, 2026, devotes a comprehensive exhibition to the artist, her relationship with Archipenko and her involvement in the international art circle „Section d’Or“, which e.g. included František Kupka and Fernand Léger. Alongside the exhibition Hannibal Books published the present exhaustive catalogue that, just like the exhibition, situates Marthe Donas in her time, discusses her temporary yet very fruitful relationship with Archipenko and juxtaposes her works with those of friends like Piet Mondrian, Theo van Doesburg and Natalia Goncharova. A major role in the (re)discovery of Marthe Donas played Peter Pauwels who has been researching her life and work for more than two decades and also contributed insightful and very detailed essays to the catalogue.
With a grand exhibition the KSMKA in Antwerp firmly puts the spotlight on a forgotten woman artists whose contribution to abstract art has long been left unrecognized and can now be discovered in a highly recommended catalogue and exhibition. Chapeau!
Wow! Beautiful.
