RM to Debut His Art Collection at SFMOMA: “A Rather Long Self-Introduction”

BTS’s RM will present artworks he has collected over many years at a U.S. museum for the first time. The special exhibition “RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me” opens October 3 local time at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and runs through February 7, 2027.

According to exhibition details shared by BIGHIT MUSIC, the show brings together approximately 180 works, including around 140 from RM’s personal collection. Most of his pieces will be shown in the United States for the first time. As his first exhibition sharing his collection under his own name, it offers a look at the tastes and perspectives he has developed through art.

“Few things reveal a person as honestly as a collection they have built over a long time,” RM said through his agency. “In that sense, I think this exhibition will be a rather long self-introduction.” He explained that his collection includes many modern and contemporary Korean artists. His desire to bring greater perspective and sensitivity to artists who may still be unfamiliar outside Korea helped shape the collecting journey that led to this exhibition.

RM’s involvement extends beyond lending artworks. He selected pieces and discussed the exhibition’s layout with SFMOMA co-curators América Castillo and Hyoeun Kim, taking part throughout its planning and curation. He also wrote the exhibition texts and artwork descriptions in Korean and English, recorded audio guides in both languages, and personally selected the music played in the galleries, welcoming visitors through his words, voice and musical choices.

The exhibition features works by modern and contemporary Korean artists including Yun Hyong-keun, Park Re-hyun, Chang Ucchin, Kwon Ok-yon, Kim Yun Shin and Do Sang-bong. Works from SFMOMA’s collection by Kim Whanki, Nam June Paik, Mark Rothko, Agnes Martin, Henri Matisse and Georgia O’Keeffe will also be shown. Spanning ceramics, calligraphy, painting and sculpture, the exhibition traces Korean art from the sixth century to the present. By bringing works from different eras and cultures into one space, it also explores how artists have approached nature, memory and human existence.

This is SFMOMA’s first collaboration with a K-pop artist since its founding. The museum initiated the project after following RM’s sustained interest in contemporary art and his collecting tastes. SFMOMA director Christopher Bedford said the exhibition aligns with the museum’s aim to broaden global conversations around art, welcoming audiences who have discovered contemporary and Korean art through RM.

According to Yonhap News Agency, RM attended a press preview on September 29 local time and said he received the proposal two years earlier while serving in the military. “Art and music are different media, but they are the same in that they both seek to say something,” he said. Although writing the artwork descriptions was the most difficult part, he added, “In any field, an outsider’s perspective can sometimes bring a breath of fresh air.”

At the same event, co-curator Hyoeun Kim described the exhibition as rooted in an individual’s artistic outlook developed over many years, rather than a conventional art-historical theme. With RM serving as both collector and co-curator, this first special exhibition of his collection shares his ongoing conversation with Korean art with visitors.