Benin exhibit a display of royal splendor
Kevin Nance: If anyone at last week's opening luncheon for the Art Institute of Chicago's new summer exhibit, "Benin -- Kings and Rituals: Court Arts from Nigeria," needed any hints about the content and style of the show, all they had to do was observe the deportment of the event's special guests.

A Gotham of our own
It wasn't just a dark and stormy night for the Dark Knight. It was a foggy one, too. But there stood Christian Bale in full cape and cowl on top of Chicago's Sears Tower, risking his Batlife. The scene in the new Batman movie, "The Dark Knight", calls for a stuntman to plummet off one of the world's tallest buildings -- only to be saved from death by some parachute-like action in his Batcape.

The making of Marilyn
Kevin Nance: We think of Marilyn Monroe as an American icon -- of beauty, sexuality and, finally, tragedy -- but of course she belongs to the world. Her legend, perpetuated in her films and in dozens of books and artworks, transcends the boundaries of nations, classes and even generations.

AIC showcases regal artwork from Nigeria

To Chicagoans familiar with African art, the Benin Kingdom of southwestern Nigeria isn't as well-known as, say, its near neighbors, the Dogon of Mali.