The Lithuanian Society of Art Photography was founded in 1969 and has become one of the most important organisations coordinating the development of the art of photography in Lithuania. At present, the organisation unites about 300 professional photographers.
As young and promising photographers began to exhibit their work as early as the late 1960s, the creation of an organisation of photographers and the necessity of training specialists began to be discussed with growing interest. With the establishment of the Lithuanian Society of Art Photography, thematic, historical, collective, personal, retrospective, genre and other exhibitions began to be organised. Lithuanian photography exhibitions started appearing abroad. To this day, actively participating in exhibitions in Lithuania and abroad remains one of the most important tasks of this organisation.
In 1971, the Lithuanian Society of Art Photography expanded when branches in Kaunas, Šiauliai and Panevėžys were founded. The Vilnius Photography Gallery opened its doors in 1973, and in 1979, Kaunas Photography Gallery began its exhibiting activities. Based on the Lithuanian Society of Art Photography, the Lithuanian Photographers Association was established in 1989. In 2000, the association opened the Prospekto Gallery, also dedicated to exhibiting and promoting the art of photography.
Publishing is one of the priority areas of the Lithuanian Photographers Association. The almanac "Lithuanian Photography" is compiled and published annually, the magazine "Photography" is published semi-annually, and exhibition catalogues, monographs and albums are published as well.
In addition to publishing and organising exhibitions, the Lithuanian Photographers Association devotes a lot of attention to education. An annual photography seminar in Nida has been held since 1973. Lectures, meetings with artists, discussions and book presentations are organised in the context of the exhibitions. Over five decades, several significant generations of artists and theoreticians have emerged, continuing or reinterpreting the medium of photography in contemporary ways.
The Lithuanian Photographers Association is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture.
