Another of the pioneers is Maria di Prima, whose career has been a series of "firsts".
She was the first woman to enter the previously closed male world of traditional woodturning, starting her apprenticeship twenty-three years ago with an old Parisian master turner who taught her classical technique. She then continued her training as the first apprentice of Jean-Francois Escoulen.

Maria Di Prima

Di Prima developed a faultless eye for line and her work was always distinguished by perfect finish. In 1990, she opened the first gallery in France to specialize in woodturning, Galerie Infiniment Rond, in the mountain village of Aiguines, selling both her own work and the work of other turners. She was elected the first president of AFTAB and worked tirelessly for its success for several years. In recent years Di Prima has devoted her energies to promoting turning as art, working as a curator and exhibition designer.

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