Retrospective of Italian neorealist Vittorio De Sica
Italian neorealist films captured the economic turmoil of post-Second World War Italy. Directors shot on location, in poorer neighbourhoods and used regular people instead of professional actors. One of the leading figures in this movement was Vittorio De Sica, and a retrospective of his films is now taking place at the BFI in London. One of his most accomplished films is his 1948 work Bicycle Thieves, about a poor man whose search, along with his son, for a stolen bicycle through Rome is an expert study in the loss of dignity. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow and Shoeshine are among the others to be screened. Vittorio De Sica: Realism and Romance continues at the BFI until the end of August. For more information, visit www.bfi.org.uk
The history of Pakistan’s dress traditions
A journey through the textiles of Pakistan is the subject of this exhibition in Karachi. Examples of Pakistani garments and embroidery are on display, from traditional clothes worn hundreds of years ago to more modern formalwear. The exhibition, in a museum built as a private residence by a wealthy resident of Karachi in the 1920s, also includes works from the country's designers today, who have used motifs from traditional garments. A Flower From Every Meadow: Design and Innovation in Pakistan's Dress Traditions runs at the Mohatta Palace Museum until next spring. For more information, visit www.mohattapalacemuseum.com.
How art has inspired fashion photography
Fashion and art have had a long relationship. Clothes and jewellery have for hundreds of years been elements of portraiture painting. And in the 1920s, Vogue magazine featured paintings by Salvador Dalí in addition to photographs by Man Ray. Now an exhibition in Madrid looks at how photographers have been inspired by classic art to show off shoes or a dress. Many of the works on display evoke the work of artists such as Johannes Vermeer and Edward Hopper. Other photographers featured, such as Tim Walker, have been inspired by paintings and artworks he viewed as a child. Vogue: Like a Painting runs at the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid until October 12. For more information visit, www.museothyssen.org.
