The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) has announced a new exhibition titled “RM x SFMOMA,” opening in October 2026 and running through February 2027. The show will feature around 200 works from both SFMOMA’s permanent collection and the personal collection of K-pop star RM (of BTS), who will serve as lead curator alongside assistant curator Hyoeun Kim and curatorial project manager América Castillo. The exhibition pairs modern Korean artists—including Yun Hyong-keun, Park Rehyun, Chang Ucchin, Kwon Okyon, To Sangbong, and Kim Yun Shin—with Western masters such as Mark Rothko, Agnes Martin, Henri Matisse, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Paul Klee. A highlight is Kim Whanki’s painting *26-I-70* (1979), owned by SFMOMA.
This collaboration matters because it leverages RM’s massive global fanbase to drive new audiences to contemporary art, building on his history of using social media to boost museum attendance and engagement. SFMOMA frames the exhibition as a rare dialogue between Korean and Western art, reflecting on cultural boundaries. RM’s role as a celebrity curator also signals a growing trend of museums partnering with pop-culture figures to expand reach and relevance, while highlighting underknown Korean artists on an international stage.