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SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – NOVEMBER 24: RM of boy band BTS is seen at the 18th W Magazine Korea Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign “Love Your W” photo call at Four Seasons Hotel on November 24, 2023 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Han Myung-Gu\/WireImage) <\/p>\n
SAN FRANCISCO – The lead member of the global musical sensation, South Korean boy band BTS, is bringing a special show to the Bay Area \u2014 an event that\u2019s being marked as the only U.S. presentation, though it won\u2019t be featuring the kind of art he\u2019s widely known for.<\/p>\n
RM, whose real name is Kim Namjoon, is collaborating with the\u00a0San Francisco Museum of Modern Art<\/a> for a highly anticipated, first-of-its-kind exhibition featuring artwork from his personal collection interwoven with SFMOMA pieces.<\/p>\n What we know:<\/p>\n It\u2019s called\u00a0RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me and will open next month.\u00a0<\/p>\n The exhibition was specially curated by RM along with SFMOMA’s Curatorial Project Manager Am\u00e9rica Castillo and Hyoeun Kim, assistant curator of painting and sculpture.\u00a0<\/p>\n The collaboration will bring together almost 200 works by Korean and international artists representing masterpieces that back to the 13th century and span to present day.<\/p>\n The backstory:<\/p>\n The collaboration has been two years in the making.<\/p>\n “Drawn to the artist\u2019s thoughtfully assembled collection of modern and contemporary art, SFMOMA invited RM to curate the first exhibition to showcase his collection in this collaborative presentation,” the museum said in a news release<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n RM x SFMOMA will feature a wide range of art mediums, from paintings, drawings, and sculptures, to ceramics, textiles, and design works \u2014 pieces from the BTS superstar’s collection that have never been publicly exhibited in the U.S., according to SFMOMA.<\/p>\n “RM\u2019s collection is built on personal resonance, not market trends or academic argument. The exhibition reflects that sensibility,” SFMOMA’s Managing Editor Cristina Chan wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n In dialogue <\/p>\n RM’s collection was born from museum visits he took while he was on tour with BTS.<\/p>\n “You have to find your root\u2026 and that\u2019s how I started to look at the Korean artists,” the band leader was quoted as saying.\u00a0<\/p>\n SEE ALSO: Lionel Richie undergoes heart procedure; concert with Earth, Wind & Fire at Chase Center postponed again\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n RM x SFMOMA will offer an inside look at what inspires the BTS leader.<\/p>\n The museum described his pieces as “a diverse collection spanning disciplines, movements, and artists from around the world, while also comprising one of the most impressive individual holdings of modern and contemporary Korean art.” \u00a0<\/p>\n The visionary musician said he hoped that through the presentation, visitors would experience their own personal art journey.<\/p>\n “I don\u2019t want to prescribe how these works should be seen; whether out of curiosity or study, all perspectives are welcome,” the pop superstar was quoted as saying in SFMOMA’s news release.<\/p>\n A \u2018rare window\u2019 <\/p>\n For fans of the pop royalty, the presentation will offer an opportunity to see RM through a different lens as an artist.<\/p>\n There is a very intimate aspect of the exhibition, with RM\u00a0providing the public “a rare window” into another side of his artistic creativity, the museum noted.\u00a0<\/p>\n RM recorded guide, written notes <\/p>\n RM recorded an audio guide as part of the exhibition in both English and Korean, with visitors being invited to use their own personal listening devices to access the recording.<\/p>\n The BTS frontman also curated a playlist of in-gallery music.\u00a0<\/p>\n And to further provide an inside, intimate experience, wall texts handwritten by the BTS frontman and art labels, both in English and Korean,\u00a0will appear throughout the exhibition.\u00a0<\/p>\n “This exhibition is an invitation for visitors to trust their own perspective. These artists remind us that art was never separate from everyday life to begin with,” noted co-curator Castillo.<\/p>\n “Visitors may enter through RM\u2019s point of view, but they leave confronting their own,” said SFMOMA’s Hyoeun Kim.<\/p>\n Dig deeper:<\/p>\n SFMOMA said the musician\u2019s collection features works by major figures of Korean modern and contemporary art including\u00a0Chang Ucchin,\u00a0Yun Hyong-keun, and Park Rehyun, as\u00a0well as other prominent contemporary artists based around the world.<\/p>\n RM’s pieces will be complemented by SFMOMA’s collection from artists including Henri Matisse, Georgia O’Keeffe, Mark Rothko, Yves Klein, and Nam June Paik.<\/p>\n “In the exhibition, works from RM\u2019s collection and SFMOMA\u2019s collection are placed in dialogue, showing how artists from different contexts have explored universal topics related to nature, memory and human existence in their own distinct ways,” the museum explained.<\/p>\n Chang Ucchin, The River Scene, 1988; collection of RM; \u00a9 Chang Ucchin Foundation, courtesy Seoul Auction Yves Klein, \u00c9ponge (SE251) (Sponge [SE 251]), 1961; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, bequest of Phyllis C. Wattis; \u00a9 Artists Rights Society (A <\/p>\n Rooftop Radio K-pop event <\/p>\n As SFMOMA celebrates the collaborative presentation with the K-pop megastar, it will also host a special 21-and-over Rooftop Radio: K-pop<\/a> gathering.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Oct. 15 event, which is expected to sell out, invites guests to enjoy “a special night of K-pop music, dance, and community.”<\/p>\n The K-pop night will feature\u00a0DJs CAZU and AyumiPlease and performances hosted by San Francisco-based drag performer and dance instructor, Sassi Fran. Food and drink will be available for purchase.<\/p>\n Non-member ticket prices cost $35. The admission provides access to the entire museum except for the\u00a0RM x SFMOMA exhibition.<\/p>\n The “Rooftop Radio + RM x SFMOMA Untimed Ticket” can be purchased for a $50 flat rate.\u00a0<\/p>\n The event is part of the Rooftop Radio outdoor live music and art event series held on the museum’s 5th floor.<\/p>\n SFMOMA\u2019s Rooftop Radio: KEXP event held in San Francisco on July 17, 2025. (Photo credit: photo: Barak Shrama)<\/p>\n Global influence <\/p>\n Big picture view:<\/p>\n BTS is widely credited for propelling K-pop onto the global stage and firmly planting the genre in the mainstream market.<\/p>\n For SFMOMA, the wide-reaching influence of the iconic pop band reflects the influence it hopes to have in the art world.\u00a0<\/p>\n “RM x SFMOMA is closely aligned with our mission to expand global dialogue around art,” said Christopher Bedford, Helen and Charles Schwab Director of SFMOMA.<\/p>\n Reaching new audiences, creating bridges <\/p>\n Castillo said art can push boundaries from multiple angles, with this presentation potentially creating opportunities to bring new art enthusiasts into the fold.\u00a0<\/p>\n “I\u2019ve long been interested in museums expanding beyond their comfort zones, not just in reaching new audiences, but in who is curating as well,” Castillo shared. “I\u2019m excited about who this might bring into SFMOMA, including those who may not have felt spoken to by traditional art history frameworks.”<\/p>\n RM x SFMOMA has been created as an exhibition that interweaves through time and space as the pieces are placed in dialogue with one another.<\/p>\n And as he and his BTS bandmates have done through their music, RM hopes this special presentation will serve as\u00a0a connector and a bridge between generations and cultures.\u00a0<\/p>\n “We live in an age defined by boundaries. This exhibition at SFMOMA reflects those boundaries: between East and West, Korea and America, the modern and the contemporary, the personal and the universal,” RM said. “My only hope is that this exhibition can be a small but sturdy bridge for many.”<\/p>\n RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me will be on view from Oct. 3 through Feb. 7. (Previews for SFMOMA members are scheduled for Oct. 1-3.)<\/p>\n General admission tickets<\/a> for adults cost $40 on weekdays, $42 for weekends and holidays. Those 18 and younger are free but still must have a ticket for entry.<\/p>\n SFMOMA is collaborating with BTS’s for RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me on view from Oct. 3, 2026 through Feb, 7, 2027. San Francisco, CA 94103 <\/p>\n FILE – (L-R) V, Suga, Jin, Jungkook, RM, Jimin and J-Hope of BTS attend the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 3, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevin Mazur\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy) <\/p>\n SFMOMA\u2019s Rooftop Radio: Noise Pop held in San Francisco on July 16, 2026. <\/p>\n Entertainment<\/a>San Francisco<\/a>News<\/a>World<\/a>Instanews<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"article SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – NOVEMBER 24: RM of boy band BTS is seen at the 18th W…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":472512,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[1184,967,3079,100,101,103,102,425,104,106,105,1181,8074],"class_list":["post-472511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-ca","tag-entertainment","tag-instanews","tag-news","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-series","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news","tag-us","tag-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=472511"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472511\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/472512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=472511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=472511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=472511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/chang-ucchin_yves-klein_2up-1024x612-1.png\")
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