The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) has announced a new exhibition titled “RM x SFMOMA,” featuring around 200 works from both the museum’s permanent collection and the personal collection of K-pop star RM, a member of BTS. RM will serve as lead curator, alongside assistant curator Hyoeun Kim and curatorial project manager América Castillo. The exhibition, running from October 2026 to February 2027, will pair Korean artists—including historical figures like Yun Hyong-keun, Park Rehyun, Chang Ucchin, and Kwon Okyon, as well as contemporary artists such as To Sangbong and Kim Yun Shin—with Western masters like Mark Rothko, Agnes Martin, Henri Matisse, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Paul Klee. A key highlight is Kim Whanki’s 26-I-70 (1979), owned by SFMOMA.
This collaboration matters because it leverages RM’s massive global fanbase to drive museum attendance and engagement, a trend he has already demonstrated through social media and past art loans. By curating a cross-cultural dialogue between Korean and Western modern and contemporary art, the exhibition positions SFMOMA as a bridge between East and West, potentially expanding audiences for both Korean art and the museum. It also underscores the growing influence of K-pop celebrities in the art world, as RM continues to use his platform to promote art appreciation.