RM of BTS to Show Personal Art Collection at SFMOMA

BTS star RM will exhibit works from his personal art collection at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art this fall. The exhibition, "RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me," opens to the public on October 5 and runs through February 7, 2027. RM announced the show Tuesday on KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco; Billboard first reported the news.

The 32-year-old singer said he began assembling the collection about eight years ago, often during visits to museums. The SFMOMA invitation arrived roughly two years ago, while he was completing his mandatory military service in South Korea. He described it as "a serious proposal from SFMOMA" — and "I loved it."

"I also thought it could be a good experience before I someday open a space I dream of, and I also thought, at a place with this kind of scale and stature, maybe I could borrow someone else's spaces and try something fun," RM said.

The exhibition will feature "a lot of Korean modern contemporary artists," according to RM, who framed his collecting through the arc of Korean history. "Over the past century, Korea went through colonization, war and incredibly fast development," he said. "A lot disappeared during that time, but at the same time, some remarkable and shiny things were created."

Nearly 150 works from RM's personal collection will go on view, paired alongside works from SFMOMA's own holdings. The artist list spans Korean and international figures: Yves Klein, Yoo Youngkuk, Wonwoo Lee, Giorgio Morandi, Kim Whanki, Han Youngsoo, Wayne Thiebaud, and Chang Ucchin. The museum has posted a behind-the-scenes sneak peek on Instagram.

RM spoke candidly about the ambivalence behind his collecting. "I liked collecting things ever since I was young, and at the same time, I do feel guilty about it," he said. "Like, do I really need to carry so many unnecessary things that I don't even need? Have I ended up becoming just a boring rich snore? Well, maybe. But I thought it would be nice if other people could see those as well, and that's why I wanted to show the people my collection."

He also acknowledged insecurities about lacking formal training in the visual arts, while suggesting that distance from the art world has its advantages. "Sometimes an outsider can bring in a new breeze," he said.

For fans, the exhibition may double as a portrait of the singer himself. "There aren't many things that show a person more honestly than a collection they've built over a long period of time, spending their money, their life, their effort," RM said. "This exhibition is a pretty long introduction of myself, and I feel embarrassed, kind of. I don't really know why I collected all these things, so I just named one of the sections, 'I Don't Know, But I Like It.'"

Tickets are already on sale through SFMOMA's website.

The opening lands days before RM rejoins his BTS bandmates on October 2 for the ARIRANG World Tour in Colombia. The group's recent album spent three weeks on the Billboard 200 and produced the number one hit "SWIM" on the Billboard Hot 100.

With "Between You and Me," RM tests a proposition he has said he dreams of pursuing one day: opening his own space. A museum-scale run in San Francisco will show whether a pop star's private eye for art can hold a public gallery wall.