The roots of the MFPA go back to 1956, when Erich Stegmann, a polio-stricken mouth painter, gathered a small band of disabled artists from eight European countries. Their ultimate goal was to make their living through their artistic efforts, and to obtain a sense of work security. Coupling his creative abilities with business acumen, Stegmann established the MFPA as a co-operative society that reproduces its artists' work mainly in the form of greeting cards, calendars and books.
