Photo Elysée pays tribute to Ella Maillart (1903-1997), writer, photographer, and avid traveler, through an exhibition dedicated to her journeys in Central Asia in the 1930s.
In 2025, UNESCO recognized the universal value of her entire body of work by inscribing it on the Memory of the World Register.
Following this global recognition, the exhibition celebrates the remarkable journey of a woman who left her mark on the history of travel.
Drawing on her photographs and travelogues, Photo Elysée retraces the four major journeys undertaken by the explorer in the 1930s to the Soviet Union, China, Afghanistan, and Iran. The exhibition highlights the documentary value of her work and its importance for understanding the cultures she encountered.
Ella Maillart, born in Geneva in 1903, quickly established herself as a major figure in travel and photojournalism. In the 1930s, she explored Central Asia and became deeply interested in the societies she encountered, guided by a profound curiosity and a rare spirit of independence. She took hundreds of photographs, creating an exceptional visual archive of her travels. Upon returning to Switzerland, she shared her experiences through books and lectures.
UNESCO Recognition
The Ella Maillart archives, which include her photographs, films, and writings, are held by Photo Elysée and the Geneva Library. In April 2025, these two institutions, in collaboration with the Swiss National Library—holder of the archives of the writer Annemarie Schwarzenbach—secured the inscription of the archives of these two pioneers of travel writing on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. This recognition testifies to the importance of their contribution to a literary and photographic genre then dominated primarily by men.
Ella Maillart : Récits Photographiques
March 6 to November 1, 2026
Photo Elysée
Pl. de la Gare 17
1003 Lausanne, Switzerland
https://elysee.ch/
