BTS RM to Unveil Nearly 150 Works From His Private Art Collection at SFMOMA

“RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me” opens October 3, bringing Korean masters into conversation with Rothko, Matisse, O’Keeffe and other international artists

BTS leader RM is preparing to reveal the most extensive public look yet at the private art collection he has built over nearly a decade.

“RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me” will open at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art on October 3 and continue through February 7, 2027. The exhibition marks the first time RM’s personal collection has been presented in a museum.

Nearly 150 works from RM’s collection will appear alongside pieces held by SFMOMA, creating an exhibition of almost 200 artworks in total. Many of the Korean works have never previously been exhibited in the United States.

The project positions RM as an active curator rather than a celebrity lending his name to an exhibition. He selected the works and developed the presentation with SFMOMA curators América Castillo and Hyoeun Kim.

RM Calls the Exhibition an Extended Introduction to Himself

RM has described a private collection as one of the most honest reflections of the person who assembled it.

For him, “Between You and Me” functions as an extended personal introduction. The works reveal the artists, ideas and visual traditions that have shaped his sensibility beyond his music with BTS and his solo albums.

The exhibition also reflects RM’s long-standing interest in increasing international recognition of Korean artists whose names remain unfamiliar to many audiences outside the country.

His collection contains important works by leading figures in Korean modern and contemporary art, including Yun Hyong-keun, Park Rehyun, Chang Ucchin, Kwon Okyon, Kim Yun Shin and To Sangbong.

These works will be displayed in conversation with pieces from SFMOMA’s collection by artists such as Kim Whanki, Nam June Paik, Mark Rothko, Agnes Martin, Henri Matisse, Georgia O’Keeffe, Donald Judd and Yves Klein.

Instead of organizing the exhibition as a simple separation between Korean and Western art, the curators place works from different periods and cultural backgrounds beside one another. The pairings explore how artists have approached shared subjects including nature, memory and human existence.

Korean Art From the Fifth Century to the Present

Although modern and contemporary Korean art forms the exhibition’s center, “Between You and Me” follows a much longer artistic history.

Through ceramics, calligraphy, painting and sculpture, visitors can trace Korean art from approximately the fifth century to the present day.

The exhibition includes a 1973 untitled work by Yun Hyong-keun and Chang Ucchin’s 1988 painting “The River Scene,” both from RM’s collection. Other announced works include Kim Yun Shin’s sculpture “Add Two Add One, Divide Two Divide One 2015-9” and Giorgio Morandi’s 1949 painting “Fiori.”

SFMOMA will contribute works including Kim Whanki’s “26-I-70 #141,” Mark Rothko’s “No. 14,” Yves Klein’s “Éponge (SE251)” and a piece by American painter Wayne Thiebaud.

Placing these works together allows visitors to discover similarities that might be overlooked when Korean art is presented separately from the wider history of modernism.

SFMOMA describes the exhibition as one of the most expansive presentations of Korean modern art held in the United States.

RM Personally Recorded the Exhibition’s Audio Guide

RM’s involvement continues throughout the visitor experience.

He wrote bilingual wall texts and artwork descriptions in Korean and English, sharing his own reflections on selected pieces. Visitors will also be able to hear his voice through an audio guide recorded in both languages specifically for the exhibition.

RM curated the music playing inside the gallery as well, turning the exhibition into a space shaped by his visual and musical tastes.

This approach gives visitors several ways to engage with the collection. Longtime art followers can focus on the relationships among the works, while BTS fans encountering some of these artists for the first time can hear why RM chose to live with and study their art.

SFMOMA director Christopher Bedford said the collaboration supports the museum’s goal of expanding international conversations around art. He also noted that it welcomes people who first discovered Korean and contemporary art through RM.

The First Museum Exhibition of RM’s Collection

SFMOMA approached RM after following his sustained interest in modern and contemporary art.

Over the years, his museum visits, recommendations and photographs have introduced fans to artists and galleries across Korea and abroad. However, “Between You and Me” represents a significant shift from sharing individual discoveries online to constructing a full museum exhibition.

RM has said he does not want to dictate how visitors should interpret the works. Instead, he hopes the exhibition can become “a small but sturdy bridge” connecting different audiences, cultures and artistic traditions.

That openness is reflected in the title. “Between You and Me” suggests a private exchange, but the exhibition expands that conversation among RM, the artists, SFMOMA and every visitor entering the gallery.

Tickets, Dates and Visitor Information

“RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me” will be presented on Floor 7 of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art from October 3, 2026, through February 7, 2027.

Member previews will take place from October 1 through October 3. Opening weekend tickets have sold out, but the museum says weekday and weekend availability remains from October 5 onward, excluding several early Saturdays.

The exhibition requires an additional ticket costing $10 on weekdays and $12 on weekends and holidays. Admission is free for SFMOMA members.

The museum has also introduced a $75 Encore Pass that permits unlimited repeat visits throughout the exhibition’s run. Passholders receive a special on-site gift and a discount at the exhibition pop-up store.

For RM, the exhibition offers an opportunity to present a side of himself developed quietly over years of collecting. For audiences, it creates an unusually personal path into Korean art through the eyes of one of the world’s most recognized musicians.