Elysee pictures
Photo Elysée is the cantonal photography museum of the Canton de Vaud in Lausanne, Switzerland, founded in 1985 and operated under the Fondation Plateforme 10. It serves general visitors, photography professionals, and underserved communities via rotating exhibitions, a permanent collection, publications, the Prix Elysée prize, and the Photomobile outreach program.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersLausanne, Switzerland
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Elysee pictures does
Photo Elysée (legal name: Photo Elysée – Musée cantonal pour la photographie) is the cantonal photography museum of the Canton de Vaud, Switzerland, founded in 1985 and relocated in fall 2021 to the Plateforme 10 cultural complex in Lausanne, where it shares a building with mudac and the Collection de l'Art Brut. The institution is owned by the Canton de Vaud and operated under the Fondation Plateforme 10. It organizes rotating exhibitions of established and emerging photographers at its Lausanne venue and through international touring presentations, and maintains a permanent photography collection whose archives of Ella Maillart and Annemarie Schwarzenbach were registered in UNESCO's Mémoire du monde register in 2025.
The museum's product portfolio comprises on-site and traveling exhibitions, a permanent collection, an Editions publication program with publishing partners such as Scheidegger & Spiess and Noir sur Blanc, cultural-mediation and educational activities (workshops, guided tours, children's programs), the international Prix Elysée photography prize run since 2014 in partnership with Parmigiani Fleurier (awarding CHF 50,000 plus a book), the Photomobile mobile outreach studio serving socio-cultural institutions across Canton de Vaud, and an on-site/online bookshop (Librairie-boutique). The Prix Elysée is announced at the Rencontres d'Arles and presented at Paris Photo, anchoring the museum in the international photography calendar.
Photo Elysée generates revenue through a mix of cantonal government funding, Swiss Federal Office of Culture grants (notably for Photomobile), private sponsorship (Parmigiani Fleurier for Prix Elysée), ticketing for exhibitions and workshops, publication sales, and on-site bookshop revenue. Pricing for workshops is CHF 50 and for publications CHF 35–47, indicating modest unit economics consistent with a publicly funded cultural institution. The museum serves a diversified audience of general visitors, tourists, photography professionals and artists (via Prix Elysée and collection access), school and educational groups, and underserved populations reached through Photomobile. There is no proprietary technology platform or AI/ML capability disclosed; operations rely on traditional curatorial, collection management, and digital-archive workflows.
Elysee pictures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Elysee pictures
- Legal name
- Photo Elysée - Musée cantonal pour la photographie
- Website
- https://elysee.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Photo Elysée is the cantonal photography museum of the Canton de Vaud in Lausanne, Switzerland, founded in 1985 and operated under the Fondation Plateforme 10. It serves general visitors, photography professionals, and underserved communities via rotating exhibitions, a permanent collection, publications, the Prix Elysée prize, and the Photomobile outreach program.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Elysee pictures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Photography Museum
- NAICS
- Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums (712110)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Art Museums (THAJADAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Museum & Landmark Guided Tours (Skip-the-line/Docent-led) (THAJAAAC), Photography & Videography Workshops (THAJAKAD)
Keywords
Where Elysee pictures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lausanne
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Elysee pictures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Admission and ticket sales: The museum generates revenue through ticket sales for admission to exhibitions and special events. Tickets can be purchased online and at the museum box office.
- Publications and book sales: Photo Elysée publishes books, catalogs, and exhibition monographs through its Editions program. Publications include works on photographers from the collection and exhibition catalogs, sold through the museum bookshop and online.
- Government funding: As a cantonal museum of the Canton de Vaud, Photo Elysée receives public funding from the state. The museum is managed by the Plateforme 10 Foundation.
- Private sponsorship and partnerships: The museum benefits from private partnerships including Parmigiani Fleurier's sponsorship of the Prix Elysée, and other corporate partnerships for exhibitions and programs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Street photography workshop with professional photographer Khashayar Javanmardi |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | La Mémoire du Futur publication |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Werner Bischof - Helvetica publication |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Virginie Otth. Pour l'instant publication |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Elysee pictures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Photo Elysée is a cantonal photography museum in Lausanne that organizes rotating exhibitions of photography, maintains a permanent photographic collection, publishes catalogs and artist books through its Éditions program, runs cultural mediation and educational programs including workshops and guided tours, operates the Photomobile outreach program serving underserved communities, and administers the international Prix Elysée photography prize in partnership with Parmigiani Fleurier. The museum serves general public visitors, photography professionals, students, and community groups through both on-site and outreach activities.
Product overview
Photo Elysée is a cantonal photography museum operated by the Plateforme 10 Foundation in Lausanne, Switzerland. The institution offers a portfolio of interconnected cultural products: rotating exhibitions (both on-site and traveling internationally), a permanent collection established in 1985, publications including catalogs and artist books, cultural mediation and educational programs (workshops, guided tours, children's activities), the international Prix Elysée photography prize in partnership with Parmigiani Fleurier, the Photomobile mobile outreach studio, and educational resources. Located at Place de la Gare 17 in the Plateforme 10 arts district, the museum serves as a major center for photography in Switzerland.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Prix Elysée: An international photography prize supporting mid-career photographers, run in partnership with Parmigiani Fleurier since 2014. The prize offers financial support, curatorial guidance, and visibility to winning photographers.
Products and services
- Photography Exhibitions (Expositions)
Quantifiable outcome
- UNESCO Mémoire du monde registration in 2025 for Ella Maillart and Annemarie Schwarzenbach archives
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Elysee pictures
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Elysee pictures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Elysee pictures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.
- Jeu de Paume, ParismajorCollaboration with the Jeu de Paume in Paris for the major retrospective exhibition 'Luc Delahaye: The Echo of the World' (2001-2025). The exhibition is co-organized by Photo Elysée and Jeu de Paume.
- Institut pour la photographie des Hauts-de-FrancemajorCo-production partnership for the exhibition 'S wie Sehen / L is for Look' (Children's Photobooks) running from September 19, 2025 to February 1, 2026. The exhibition explores the place of photography in children's literature.
- C/O Berlin FoundationminorPartnership for the Swiss premiere of Tyler Mitchell's exhibition 'Wish This Was Real' at Photo Elysée. The exhibition is organized and produced by C/O Berlin Foundation in collaboration with Tyler Mitchell Studios, with support from Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne.
- Grand Palais, Paris (Paris Photo)majorPhoto Elysée serves as institutional partner at Paris Photo, the world's largest fair dedicated to photography. Photo Elysée presents Prix Elysée nominees and winners at the fair, most recently featuring Hannah Darabi in November 2024 and 2025.
- Plateforme 10 FoundationcorePhoto Elysée is managed by the Plateforme 10 Foundation, which oversees the cultural district housing Photo Elysée, mudac (museum of design), and Collection de l'Art Brut. The foundation provides institutional governance and shared services including human resources, communication, and technical operations.
- Rencontres de la photographie d'ArlesmajorPhoto Elysée participates in the Rencontres d'Arles, where the Prix Elysée nominees are traditionally announced. This partnership provides visibility for the competition and connects the museum with international photography professionals.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Elysee pictures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Foam: Foam is an Amsterdam-based photography museum with exhibitions, publications, and a renowned Foam Talent program; it is one of the most direct global peers to Photo Elysée given comparable size, photography-only scope, and emphasis on emerging photographers and international programming.
- Le Bal: Le Bal is a Paris venue for image-based practices including photography, documentary, and contemporary image-making; comparable to Photo Elysée as a Paris-rooted photography exhibition space with curatorial ambition and an international orientation.
- Fotografiska: Fotografiska operates photography museums in Stockholm, New York, Berlin, and Tallinn with exhibitions, events, and dining; it is comparable to Photo Elysée as a photography-dedicated museum venue with an international, multi-city footprint and a strong events/visitor-experience orientation.
- Museum für Fotografie / Helmut Newton Foundation: Berlin's Museum für Fotografie houses the Helmut Newton Foundation and rotating photography exhibitions; it is a direct European peer to Photo Elysée given its photography-only scope and exhibition-led operating model.
- International Center of Photography (ICP): ICP is a New York-based institution dedicated to photography and visual culture, combining a museum, school, and public programs; comparable to Photo Elysée as a global peer with museum operations, exhibitions, and educational programming in photography.
- Jeu de Paume: Jeu de Paume is a Paris-based venue for image-based and contemporary art, including photography; it is a confirmed co-production partner of Photo Elysée (2026 Luc Delahaye retrospective), making it both a peer and a partner in curatorial co-productions.
- Maison Européenne de la Photographie: MEP is a Paris photography center dedicated to exhibitions, collections, and public engagement with photography; it is a direct peer to Photo Elysée in scope (photography-only) and target audience (cultural visitors and photography professionals).
- Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP): MoCP at Columbia College Chicago is a museum dedicated to contemporary photography with exhibitions, collections, and publications; it is a direct peer to Photo Elysée in operating scope (photography-only museum, exhibition + collection + publication model).
- C/O Berlin Foundation: C/O Berlin is a Berlin-based exhibition venue dedicated to photography and visual media; it is a confirmed Photo Elysée co-production partner (Tyler Mitchell 2025) and a peer in operating model (exhibition-led, photography-focused, international programming).
Others
- Magnum Photos: Magnum Photos is a photography agency and gallery exhibiting and distributing works by renowned photographers; it is thematically adjacent to Photo Elysée through shared photographer networks and exhibition contexts, though it is a commercial agency rather than a museum.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Elysee pictures social profiles
Digital presenceElysee pictures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Elysee pictures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Elysee pictures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Elysee pictures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Elysee pictures
What does Elysee pictures do?
Photo Elysée is a cantonal photography museum in Lausanne that organizes rotating exhibitions of photography, maintains a permanent photographic collection, publishes catalogs and artist books through its Éditions program, runs cultural mediation and educational programs including workshops and guided tours, operates the Photomobile outreach program serving underserved communities, and administers the international Prix Elysée photography prize in partnership with Parmigiani Fleurier. The museum serves general public visitors, photography professionals, students, and community groups through both on-site and outreach activities.
Is Elysee pictures a public or private company?
Elysee pictures is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Elysee pictures founded?
Elysee pictures was founded in 1985. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Elysee pictures based?
Elysee pictures is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Elysee pictures make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Admission and ticket sales are the primary driver. The others are publications and book sales, government funding and private sponsorship and partnerships.
Who are Elysee pictures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Foam, Le Bal, Fotografiska, Museum für Fotografie / Helmut Newton Foundation, International Center of Photography (ICP), Jeu de Paume, Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP) and C/O Berlin Foundation. Magnum Photos is listed as an others.
Does Elysee pictures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Elysee pictures.
What industry is Elysee pictures in?
Elysee pictures's product category is Photography Museum. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJADAA, Art Museums, with a secondary code of THAJAAAC, Museum & Landmark Guided Tours (Skip-the-line/Docent-led). Its NAICS code is 712.