BTS's RM shows his personal art collection at SFMOMA

RM, the leader of the K-pop band BTS, is showing art from his personal collection at a museum for the first time, according to NPR. The exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is titled "RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me." NPR reported the first day of previews was sold out.

NPR reported the museum's gift shop expects a large rush over the next few months. "This is hands down the most inventory that we've ever front-loaded for an exhibition," said Shane Salvata, the museum's director of retail.

Among those at the sold-out first day of previews were Bay Area twenty-somethings Joi Karra and Bre Walker, according to NPR. Karra, a college student who makes BTS-inspired pins and accessories as a side hustle, said she loves art and museums and has been to SFMOMA many times. Walker said it was her first time at an art museum and that it was "all because of Nam-joon."

RM, who is 32, is also known by his real name, Kim Nam-joon, NPR reported. He was once known as "Rap Monster" but has gone by RM for almost a decade. He worked with two SFMOMA curators on the show; most works on display are from his collection, with a few additions from the museum's, including a Mark Rothko painting shown side-by-side with one by Yun Hyong-keun.

NPR reported RM's collection focuses heavily on works by Korean artists from ancient times to the present, including Yun Hyong-keun, Kim Whanki and Chang Ucchin. Works pictured in NPR's report include Chusa Kim Jeong-hui's 19th century "Orchid Paintings and Writings" from the Joseon dynasty and Chang Ucchin's 1986 "Road."

At a press briefing before the opening, RM said two questions mattered most to him: "One was, does it move me, really? And another was, right now in 2026, does this artist and does this work still have something to tell us?" He said the exhibition was "a pretty long introduction" to himself. NPR reported his interest in visiting museums and collecting art began nearly a decade ago and inspired songs including "Yun," about the 20th century Korean abstract artist Yun Hyong-keun, and "Still Life."