Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists of the World

The Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists of the World (AMFPA) is a for-profit international organization facilitating the sale of artwork produced by mouth and foot painting artists associated with the organization. None of the artists have proper use of their hands as a pre-condition to joining the association. It represents around 820 artists located in 76 countries, of whom 143 ( as of 2016) are full members, and receive a monthly fee from the organization from the date of their admission until their death. The other artists are students, who receive a monthly scholarship until such time as they are promoted.

The main product of the organization is Christmas cards designed by the member artists. These cards are sold every year in the months leading up to Christmas via direct mailing in 48 countries around the world. Other products include postcards, art prints and calendars.

The parent company in Liechtenstein acquires the reproduction rights of a given painting and distributes it internationally. The original works are also sold at exhibitions held throughout the world. Works produced by the members have been shown in the United Nations Office at Geneva and at the European Council in Strasbourg.

AMFPA was founded in 1957 as the Vereinigung der Mund- und Fussmalenden Künstler in aller Welt, e. V. (VDMFK), in Liechtenstein. It was styled a "self-help" organization and had the scope to further the painting skills of any mouth or foot painter, to promote their artwork and to support them financially.

The first president of the association, Arnulf Erich Stegmann, was a prominent figure in the development of mouth and foot painting. Born in 1912 in Darmstadt, Germany, Stegmann lost the use of both arms from polio at the age of two. Regardless, his artistic talents were soon recognized and supported by his teachers. He was proficient with a variety of brushes and styles, using only his mouth. He was educated at the School of Higher Education for Book Trade and Graphics in Nuremberg and studied with the artists Erwin von Kormöndy and Hans Gerstacker. He made a living selling his art cards and prints at marketplaces. After the Second World War he established his own publishing company with the poignant name "Dennoch" ("Anyway").

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