The Lithuanian Society of Photographic Art, which has become one of the most important organisations coordinating the development of the art of photography in Lithuania, was founded in 1969.At present, the organisation unites about 300 professional photographers.
In the late 1960s, as young and promising photographers began to exhibit their work, the creation of an organisation of photographers and the need to train professionals became more and more prominent. With the establishment of the Lithuanian Society of Photography, thematic, historical, collective, personal, retrospective, genre, and other exhibitions began to be organised. Lithuanian photography exhibitions began to travel abroad. To this day, active exhibition activity in Lithuania and abroad remains one of the most important tasks of this organisation.
In 1971, in order to expand its activities, the Society of Photographic Art established chapters in Kaunas, Šiauliai and Panevėžys. In 1973, the Vilnius Photography Gallery opened its doors, and in 1979 the Kaunas Photography Gallery began its exhibition activities. In 1989, the Lithuanian Photographic Art Society was established on the basis of the Lithuanian Photographic Art Society. In 2000, the Photographic Art Society opened the Prospekto Gallery, which is also dedicated to the exhibition and promotion of photographic art.
Publishing is one of the priority areas of the Lithuanian Photographers' Union. The yearbook "Lithuanian Photography" is prepared and published annually, the magazine "Photography" is published semi-annually, and exhibition catalogues, monographs and albums are produced.
In addition to publishing and exhibition activities, the Lithuanian Photographers' Union pays much attention to education. Since 1973, an annual photography seminar has been held in Nida. Lectures, meetings with artists, discussions and book presentations are organised in the context of exhibitions. Over five decades, several important generations of artists and theoreticians have emerged, continuing or reinterpreting the medium of photography in a contemporary way.
