RM’s Art Collection Makes Its Museum Debut at SFMOMA

As of September 30, 2026, the personal art collection BTS's RM has built over the years is about to go on museum view for the first time. The show opens Oct. 3 at SFMOMA in San Francisco and runs through Feb. 7, 2027. Of roughly 180 works on display, about 140 come from RM's own collection.

About 140Works on view from RM's personal collection

About 180Total works, including pieces from the museum's holdings

16Yun Hyong-keun works filling their own gallery

Feb. 7, 2027Closing date

Key points

Co-organized by SFMOMA and RM, the exhibition opens Oct. 3 and closes Feb. 7, 2027.
About 180 works are on view in total, and roughly 140 of them belong to RM personally.
RM picked the works with two SFMOMA curators, wrote the wall texts, recorded the audio guide and chose the music.
Korean artists' works are paired with those of Western masters so that universal themes like nature and memory can be read side by side.

Art lover RM's collection is heading to a museum wall for the first time. San Francisco's SFMOMA has announced a collaborative show opening Oct. 3, subtitled 'Between You and Me,' that runs through Feb. 7, 2027. SFMOMA, which opened in 1935, is one of the best-known modern and contemporary art museums in the US.

In all, about 180 works are on view. Roughly 140 come from the collection RM has been building for nearly a decade, and the rest are drawn from the museum's own holdings. RM's collection centers on modern and contemporary Korean artists, including Yun Hyong-keun, Chang Ucchin, Yoo Youngkuk, Kim Tschang-yeul and Do Sang-bong. Yun, reportedly a particular favorite of RM's, gets a dedicated gallery with 16 works.

RM was more than a lender. Working with SFMOMA curators América Castillo and Hyoeun Kim, RM chose the works and shaped the flow of the show. RM wrote the wall texts and object labels in both Korean and English, and recorded the audio guide in both languages. The music playing in the galleries is RM's pick, too. RM has described the show as a long introduction to who RM is.

The most striking part is the way works from different eras and places are set up in pairs. Kim Whanki's blue dot painting hangs alongside a sponge sculpture by Yves Klein, famous for his signature blue, inviting a comparison of how color is used to contemplate the cosmos and infinity. Do Sang-bong's still life is matched with a flower painting by Giorgio Morandi, and Yun's work with a piece by minimalist Donald Judd. Yun and Judd actually knew each other, so that pairing carries a personal connection.

The collecting began in 2018. In an August interview with The New York Times, RM recalled seeing Western masterpieces at the Art Institute of Chicago during a US tour and feeling embarrassed at how little RM knew about Korea's own artists. Determined to find those roots, RM began seeking out Korean artists, and that journey led to this show.

In Korea right nowIn Korea, RM has been talked about as an art enthusiast since around 2019. Reports of RM visiting the Lee Ufan Space at the Busan Museum of Art and a Yun Hyong-keun show in Venice led fans to follow those footsteps, giving rise to the term 'RM tour.' In 2020, RM shared Kim Boghee's solo show at Kumho Museum of Art on social media, drawing more attention to the exhibition. RM has also given back, donating to the MMCA Foundation (the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art's foundation) and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation. That money reportedly paid to reprint out-of-print Korean art catalogs, which were then distributed to libraries nationwide. For many in Korea, the SFMOMA show is significant because fan enthusiasm has grown into a push to introduce Korean art abroad.

FAQ

When and where is the exhibition?

It runs at SFMOMA in San Francisco from Oct. 3 through Feb. 7, 2027.

How involved was RM in the show?

RM chose the works with the curators and wrote the exhibition texts in Korean and English. RM also recorded the audio guide and picked the music played in the galleries.

What kind of art can visitors see?

The show centers on modern and contemporary Korean artists such as Yun Hyong-keun, Chang Ucchin, Yoo Youngkuk, Kim Tschang-yeul and Do Sang-bong. Their works are paired with pieces by Western artists including Yves Klein, Giorgio Morandi and Donald Judd.