RM x SFMOMA, the First Exhibition of RM’s Collection

 

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) will present RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me, the first museum exhibition featuring artworks from the personal collection of RM of BTS. On view October 3, 2026, through February 7, 2027, the SFMOMA exhibition marks its only U.S. presentation.

Curated by RM with exhibition co-curators América Castillo and Hyoeun Kim of SFMOMA, this exhibition brings together nearly 200 works by Korean and international artists from the collections of RM and SFMOMA, including artworks in RM’s collection that have never been publicly exhibited in the U.S. RM x SFMOMA offers a rare opportunity to see modern and contemporary Korean artworks in conversation with artists from around the world and across different time periods.

“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. I don’t want to prescribe how these works should be seen; whether out of curiosity or study, all perspectives are welcome. My only hope is that this exhibition can be a small but sturdy bridge for many,” said RM.

“RM x SFMOMA is closely aligned with our mission to expand global dialogue around art,” noted Christopher Bedford, Helen and Charles Schwab Director of SFMOMA. “This exhibition makes space for new voices in the museum, while also welcoming visitors who have been exposed to contemporary and Korean art through RM.”

Drawn to the artist’s thoughtfully assembled collection of modern and contemporary art, SFMOMA invited RM to curate the first exhibition to showcase his collection in this collaborative presentation.

“While centered on modern and contemporary Korean art, RM’s collection encompasses the broader trajectory of art in Korea, from the 13th century to the present,” commented Hyoeun Kim, assistant curator of painting and sculpture, SFMOMA. “Through this collaboration with SFMOMA, it is especially meaningful to bring the depth and richness of his collection to a wider audience.”

“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. It’s found in the places we return to, the people we care about, and the questions that stay with us,” noted América Castillo, curatorial project manager, SFMOMA.

RM’s collection features artworks by numerous key figures of modern and contemporary Korean art, including Chang Ucchin, Kim Yun Shin, Kwon Okyon, Park Rehyun, To Sangbong and Yun Hyong-keun, in addition to works by numerous notable contemporary artists based around the world. These are complemented by SFMOMA collection artworks by Donald Judd, Kim Whanki, Yves Klein, Agnes Martin, Henri Matisse, Georgia O’Keeffe, Nam June Paik and Mark Rothko, among others.

In the exhibition, works from RM’s collection and SFMOMA’s 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. Visitors are invited to see familiar works in a new light and encounter others for the first time.