Surge In Black Art Is ‘Exhilarating Sea Change’ That Made 2010s ‘Thrilling’: New York Times

Roberta Smith: “What made the 2010s the most thrilling of all the decades I’ve spent in the New York art world was the rising presence of black artists of every ilk, on every front: in museums, commercial galleries, art magazines, private collections and public commissions. During this exhilarating sea change new talent emerged, older talent was newly appreciated and the history of American art was suddenly up for grabs — and in dire need of rewriting.” – The New York Times

The 10 Most Influential Films Of The Decade (Per The New York Times)

Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott: “The most popular movies and the movies we love most aren’t always the ones that shape the industry, reflect the times or change the terms of cultural discourse — for better or worse. The films on the first list, whether we like them or not …, made a difference in the world of entertainment and beyond.” (also includes ten favorites from each critic) – The New York Times

Vienna State Opera Finally Stages Work Written By A Woman (It Only Took 150 Years)

“I really want to shake up this old-fashioned, beautiful, wonderful place a bit,” says composer Olga Neuwirth, 51, whose adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s Orlando opens on December 8. (The house actually commissioned an opera from Neuwirth back in 2004, only to reject the libretto written by Nobel laureate Elfriede Jelinek.) – The Guardian

Kanye West Popped-Up An Opera – So How Was It?

Mark Swed: “Typically, a new opera is a multiyear project, so the very notion of this pop-up one, which seems to have been in the works for a couple of weeks at most, is extraordinary. But if you go back to the 18th and 19th centuries, operas were popular entertainment put on with the regularity and immediacy that television shows are today.” – Los Angeles Times