Berlin films, Nixon mementos, other masters Berlin International Film Festival

A royal time it was, when President Nixon welcomed Elvis Presley to the White House in 1970. (ASSOCIATED PRESS/WHITE HOUSE FILE)

BERLIN Feb. 8-18

Berlin is the second big stop on the annual film festival circuit, following Sundance -- which closes today -- and preceding Cannes, Venice, Toronto, and the rest. Known as the Berlinale, the festival regularly attracts some 19,000 movie professionals and screens around 350 films. With average ticket sales of 180,000, it has the largest audience of any film festival. A highlight of this year's 57th festival is a lifetime achievement award to Arthur Penn , the director of such defining films of the 1960s as "Bonnie and Clyde " and "Alice's Restaurant."

Potsdamer Strasse 5, 011-49-30-259-20-0, berlinale.de/en.

YORBA LINDA, Calif. Through April 9

American worlds collided on Dec. 21, 1970, when the "King of Rock 'n' Roll" stopped by the Oval Office to pay his respects to the president . The 20-odd minutes (quite odd, actually) that Elvis Presley spent in the company of Richard Nixon long ago entered contemporary folkore. A photograph of the two men has for many years been the most popular item ordered from the National Archives. This exhibition at the Nixon Library & Birthplace includes the gifts they exchanged (presidential-seal cuff links and a mounted commemorative .45-caliber pistol), as well as the outfits they wore (one a gray business suit, the other a velvet suit and wing-collared shirt -- you can see who wore which). Best of all, there is the Bureau of Narcotics special assistant badge, the pursuit of which inspired Elvis's visit.

18001 Yorba Linda Boulevard, 714-993-5075 , nixonlibrary.org .

MADRID Jan. 30-May 13

Among the Venetian masters of Renaissance painting, Tintoretto (1518- 94) ranks behind only Titian and alongside Veronese . His gift for striking presentations of space and light make him a key transitional figure between the Renaissance and Baroque. This exhibition at the Prado is the largest show devoted to Tintoretto in 70 years. It includes some 60 paintings and drawings loaned from European and North American collections. The exhibition will focus on such aspects of his work as religious paintings, mythological subjects, and portraiture.

Paseo del Prado, 011-34-91-330-2800 , museoprado.mcu.es/ihome .

VIENNA Feb. 2-May 13

Almost 200 years after its emergence, Biedermeier remains one of the classic design styles in the decorative and domestic arts. It dominated central Europe in the years between 1815 and 1830. Notable for its clean, elegant lines and unadorned natural materials, it now can be seen as a precursor of Modernism. The exhibition comprises some 400 items, including furniture, paintings, textiles, jewelry, and silverware.

Albertinaplatz 1, 011-43-1-534-080 , albertina.at .

LONDON Feb. 7-April 29

William Hogarth (1697-1764) was the foremost British artist of the first half of the 18th century. Best known as a satirist, he also excelled at portraiture and other, more respectable genres. "Hogarth" is the largest exhibition of his work in decades, comprising drawings and prints as well as paintings. The show maintains that Hogarth was Britain's first truly modern artist -- equally concerned with the marketplace and morality -- and to underscore his modernity , it includes works by living artists influenced by him.

Millbank , 011-44-20-7887-8008, tate.org/uk/britain .

Events sometimes are canceled, rescheduled, or sold out; call or check online to confirm. Contact Mark Feeney at mfeeney@globe.com.