RM, the leader of K-pop group BTS, will present his personal art collection at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) in an exhibition titled "RM x SFMOMA," running from October 3 to February 7. The show features around 200 works from RM’s collection and SFMOMA’s holdings, many never before shown in the US, and is co-curated by RM, SFMOMA curatorial project manager America Castillo, and assistant curator Kim Hyo-eun. Key Korean artists in RM’s collection include Yun Hyong-keun, Park Rehyun, Kwon Ok-yon, Kim Yun-shin, To Sang-bong, and Chang Ucchin, while SFMOMA contributes works by Kim Whan-ki, Mark Rothko, Agnes Martin, Henri Matisse, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Paul Klee.
This exhibition matters because it bridges K-pop celebrity culture with the fine art world, bringing modern Korean art into dialogue with global modernism at a major US museum. RM’s active role as a collector and co-curator challenges traditional boundaries between artist, fan, and curator, potentially attracting new, younger audiences to contemporary art. Additionally, SFMOMA’s planned memorandum of understanding with the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea signals deepening institutional ties between the US and Korean art scenes.