Ella Maillart (1903–1997) was an extraordinary adventurer, as well as a photographer and writer, who spent extended periods of time in Asia. In 2025, her entire body of work was recognized by UNESCO. Photo Elysée wishes to pay tribute to this exceptional woman by drawing on her photographic archives, which consist of several thousand photographs all held in the museum’s collection.
br> The exhibition, structured around Maillart’s four major trips to Asia in the 1930s, highlights the linkages between her images and her writing and explores how her photographic legacy adds to and perpetuates the memory of the world.

Photo Elysée announces the inclusion of the Ella Maillart and Annemarie Schwarzenbach archives in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. This international recognition highlights the exceptional historical and cultural value of these collections, preserved in part by Photo Elysée, and affirms Ella Maillart’s significant role in the history of photography and journalism.