Photo Elysée

About the museum

The museum was founded in 1985 under the name Musée de l'Élysée, on the initiative of Charles-Henri Favrod, and was regarded as the first museum in Europe devoted exclusively to photography. It was initially housed in an 18th-century mansion in Lausanne.

In October 2020 the museum closed in order to move to the new Plateforme 10 arts district near the station. In June 2022 it reopened there under the new name Photo Elysée. It shares the building with the mudac; it was designed by the Portuguese architects Manuel and Francisco Aires Mateus. Together with the Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts, the two institutions form the three cantonal museums of Plateforme 10, which are run by a public-law foundation.

The collection today comprises more than one million objects from the 1840s to the present, from analogue prints and glass and metal plates to digital works. The holdings include works by Robert Frank, Josef Koudelka, Cindy Sherman and Mario Giacomelli as well as entire estates, for example of Sabine Weiss, Jan Groover, Ella Maillart, René Burri and Nicolas Bouvier. Through exhibitions, publications and the Prix Élysée, the museum also promotes contemporary photography.

Highlights

• One of the largest and most diverse photography collections in the world, with over one million objects
• Estates of Ella Maillart, René Burri, Nicolas Bouvier, Sabine Weiss and Jan Groover
• Building by the architects Aires Mateus, shared with the mudac
• Collection presentation free of charge and without reservation
• Prix Élysée to promote contemporary photography

Permanent exhibition

• Sammlung von Photo Élysée – The collection presentation shows selections from the holdings of over one million objects and is accessible free of charge.

Founded

1985

Operated by

Fondation Plateforme 10 (Kanton Waadt)

Director

Nathalie Herschdorfer

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Every first Saturday of the month (all exhibitions).

The collection presentation at Photo Élysée is accessible free of charge and without reservation. Free admission applies, among others, to holders of the ICOM card, the CarteCulture and the Raiffeisen card, and to members of the Friends of the Museum.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The entire Photo Élysée and mudac building is wheelchair accessible, with adapted toilets on every floor. Folding stools and two wheelchairs on request. All public tours are accessible with an induction loop, plus handheld receivers; sign language interpreters are welcome. Two disabled parking spaces at the end of the access road via Avenue Louis-Ruchonnet. The access route from the station is steeply sloped.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

Workshops for children on the exhibitions and a free activity booklet "Dix questions pour une photographie" at reception. Strollers are welcome everywhere, and lifts lead to all exhibition rooms; changing table and children's toilets on the ground floor.

Getting there & parking

Bicycle parking at the entrance on the station side; pedestrian and cycle path from Avenue Marc Dufour to the station.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Lockers
• Wi-Fi

Café Lumen in the central foyer (same opening hours as the museum); restaurant Le Nabi in the MCBA. Shared bookshop of Photo Élysée and mudac. Free self-service lockers (tokens at reception, luggage up to 55 × 35 × 20 cm).

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Rooms at Plateforme 10 can be rented, including the foyer and the auditorium of mudac and Photo Élysée, for events related to the museums and their activities.

Plan your visit