The Union's charter was registered on April 20, 1999, under the Law of the Russian Federation "On Trade Unions, Their Rights and Guarantees of Activity" dated January 12, 1996.
The Union's primary goal is to protect the rights of creative professionals. The Union operates in 54 regions of Russia and in 8 foreign countries. The Union has more than 3,000 artists and other creative professionals as members.
The following bodies operate under the Professional Union of Artists of Russia: – regional and local primary organizations and representative offices; – representative offices in foreign countries; – a Rating Center working on the reference publication "Unified Art Rating"; – specialist sections (painters, graphic artists, sculptors, art historians, gallery and museum workers, art photographers, masters of decorative and applied arts, journalists, designers); – exhibition groups and organizations; – a service for the protection of historical, cultural, and architectural heritage; – a PR service; – a legal service; – a production center; – other services, organizations, and interest groups.
The chairman of the Professional Union of Artists of Russia is Professor Sergey Wolfovich Zagrayevsky, Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation.