Nathalie Herschdorfer is the New Director of Photo Elysée

Published on 25.02.2022

A curator, art and photography historian, Nathalie Herschdorfer is appointed Director of Photo Elysée by the Plateforme 10 Foundation. She will take on the position starting June 1, 2022, after being the Director of the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Le Locle, Switzerland since 2014. She is very well acquainted with our institution as she worked for the museum for over ten years as curator and exhibition director (from 1998 to 2010).

Her in depth knowledge of photography and her experience in museum management as well as her national and international cultural network convinced the selection jury which reviewed over 50 applications and auditioned five high level candidates from Switzerland and abroad. Her strategic thinking, as well as her ideas for the further development of our museum in close cooperation with the teams of Plateforme 10 and the two other museums particularly convinced the jury.

A quote by Nathalie Herschdorfer

"I am delighted to return to the museum and take over its management as it opens a new chapter in its history. From now on, photography will no longer be isolated, but will interact with other arts. Within this new dynamic cultural center for Lausanne and its region, Photo Elysée will experience unprecedented development. This is a great challenge to be met. I look forward to joining Plateforme 10 and its teams, building a strong programme for Photo Elysée and championing the vibrancy of Lausanne’s art district."

An exceptional career

As director of the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Le Locle, Switzerland directrice du Musée des Beaux-Arts du Locle, Nathalie Herschdorfer has curated no less than 50 temporary exhibitions bringing together artists from Switzerland and abroad, including Louise Bourgeois, Stanley Kubrick, Georg Baselitz, Sol Lewitt, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Vik Muniz, Todd Hido or Henri Cartier-Bresson. Artistic director of the Alt.+1000 festival, dedicated to contemporary photography, she manages several exhibition projects at an international level. In 2021, she curated the Elles x Paris Photo programme dedicated to women artists for the Paris Photo fair. She regularly appears on an international level as a curator and speaker, teaches at ECAL in Lausanne and is the author of several books on Photography.

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23.05.2023

Debi Cornwall wins the Prix Elysée 2023

Photo Elysée and Parmigiani Fleurier are pleased to announce the identity of the winner of the Prix Elysée 2023, the American photographer Debi Cornwall for her work entitled Model Citizens.

 "The work is in line with current events and is an important contribution that is timely, given the effect of fake news in our societies. Through her research, the artist questions the blurred line between truth and fiction. The project, which is both a political and intellectual commitment, points to the urgency and necessity of questioning photography as a proof. The impact of fake news is not limited to the United States – the artist is telling a local story that talks about global issues. We are convinced that with the Prix Elysée, Debi Cornwall will reach a new and wider audience and that the prize will help increase her visibility in Europe." – The members of the jury of the Prix Elysée 2023

The Prix Elysée endowment of CHF 80'000 will enable the artist to complete he research and publish a book.

The winning images of the contest

As part of the exhibition Blur. A Photographic History, presented at Photo Elysée from March 2 to May 21, 2023, the museum organized an Instagram contest on the theme of blur.

Photographic mistakes, focus manipulations, artistic and motion blur, vignetting or digital manipulation, more than 1'700 images were shared with the hashtag #PhotoElyseeFlou over a period of two weeks.

The great diversity and quality of the submissions impressed the Photo Elysée's team and the jury, composed of Nathalie Herschdorfer, director of Photo Elysée, and Pauline Martin, curator of the Blur exhibition. Thank you all for your participation!

Congratulations to the winners:

The three winning photographs will be presented in our spaces from Thursday, April 20 until May 21, 2023! The photographers of the winning images will also receive a Friends of Photo Elysée card, valid for one year.