FESPA is mourning the loss of Michel Caza, one of the federation’s ‘founding fathers’, who passed away on 23 May 2026 at the age of 90. Born in 1935, Caza leaves behind a monumental legacy as a pioneering figure in the global printing industry, having played an instrumental role in shaping the organisation since its inception.
In 1961, he was one of eight founding board members of the FESPA federation, established with the objectives of ‘sharing of knowledge of screen-printing, the establishment of close cooperation between screen-printers and suppliers, and promotion of screen-printing in Europe’.
Caza remained a board member of FESPA until his retirement in 2014. He occupied the position of FESPA President from 1996 to 1999 and 2000 to 2002, at a time of significant transformation for FESPA. Through FESPA, he witnessed the development of an active global community of speciality printers which now spans nearly 40 countries, sharing knowledge and best practice, and supporting one another’s progress and growth.
FESPA President Daniel Sunderland comments, “Michel was an irrepressible innovator, passionate about the craft and creativity of screen printing. He believed wholeheartedly in the power to advance print by encouraging printers to share their knowledge and ideas generously with one another. His unshakeable belief in the power of community, collaboration, and education was one the guiding principles on which FESPA was founded, and he played a fundamental role in the growth of our organisation and events over seven decades. Those principles are still the foundations of FESPA more than 60 years on, as expressed in our strapline—Connect. Inspire. Support. The global FESPA ‘family’ will never forget his contribution.”
Caza first experienced the world of screen printing while working a student job in Stockholm in the mid-1950s. It became a life-long passion and career during which he collaborated closely with many prominent artists, including Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, and Victor Vasarely.
He was a print business owner and prolific author of technical and art books and articles. During his career he accumulated more than 350 prominent industry awards and delivered hundreds of presentations, seminars, and workshops worldwide, influencing global printing practice through his teaching and consultancy.
At the turn of the millennium, the emergence of new digital inkjet processes was perceived by many in the screen printing community to be an existential threat, but Caza recognised that the technologies were complimentary and was a vocal advocate for investment in digital output, which was reflected in the 2006 launch of the dedicated ‘FESPA Digital’ event.
Caza was strongly committed to improving the sustainability of print and authored ‘Screen Printing: A Guide for a Clean Planet’ in 2001. This would later be extended to become the first FESPA Planet Friendly Guide, a precursor of FESPA’s now substantial educational offering on sustainability.
His technical prowess and determination to overcome any production challenge are renowned in the screen printing community and he is credited, among many other innovations, with the commercialisation of UV curing inks and super-fine halftone screen rulings.
Caza documented his 55 years as a master printer in fine art screen printing in his 2018 book, Michel Caza: The Chameleon of Contemporary Art.
FESPA Head of Associations and Technical Lead Graeme Richardson-Locke’s interview of Michel Caza in 2019 can be accessed at Graeme interviews Michel Caza, founding father and former President of FESPA – FESPA
