TL;DR
Get your wardrobe favorites delivered free — and shop member deals
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Access to Prime Big Deal Days deals on October 6–7
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
BTS leader RM, born Kim Namjoon, has made his curatorial debut at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art with “Between You and Me.” The exhibition brings together nearly 200 works, including 145 from his collection, and is scheduled to remain on view through Feb. 7, 2027.
BTS leader RM has made his curatorial debut at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art with “Between You and Me,” an exhibition bringing together nearly 200 works, including 145 from his personal collection. The show focuses on Korean modern and contemporary art and is scheduled to remain on view through Feb. 7, 2027.
The exhibition was co-curated by RM, whose legal name is Kim Namjoon, with SFMOMA curators América Castillo and Hyoeun Kim. According to Hypebeast’s report, the team worked on the project over two years. The museum contributes 45 works to the presentation, pairing its holdings with RM’s collection.
“Between You and Me” is organized into eight sections: “Blue Water,” “Friendscape,” “Home,” “Photo Buddha,” “People,” “Passion,” “Umber,” and “I don’t know, but I like it.” The display includes paintings, sculptures, ceramics, photographs and calligraphy. The report says many works are making their U.S. debut; objects range from a centuries-old vase to an early Pikachu animation cell.
Artists represented from RM’s collection include Kim Whan-ki, Chang Ucchin, Kim Yun Shin, Kwon Jinkyu, Kwon Okyon, Park Rehyun and To Sangbong. More than a dozen works by Yun Hyong-keun are among the exhibition’s highlights. One is displayed beside Mark Rothko’s “No. 14” (1980). SFMOMA works by Donald Judd, Yves Klein, Agnes Martin, Henri Matisse, Georgia O’Keeffe and Nam June Paik are also included.
RM Puts Korean Art in Museum Focus
The exhibition gives a major U.S. museum platform to Korean modern and contemporary artists, while connecting their work with pieces from SFMOMA’s collection. Its arrangement sets up conversations across East and West, generations and artistic traditions, rather than presenting Korean art in isolation. That approach may give visitors unfamiliar with the artists a route into their work, although audience response and longer-term effects are not yet known.
RM’s participation also brings his public profile to a museum exhibition centered on Korean art. He has spoken about his interest in post-war Korean artists and the resilience of artists working through colonial rule, rapid redevelopment and political upheaval. His role here is specific: he helped select and organize the works with museum curators, and added handwritten section titles and audio guides recorded in Korean and English.
The show’s importance rests on both its collection and its framing. It includes works by prominent Korean artists alongside international artists, with the pairings intended to prompt comparison without reducing one artist to another. The display of Yun Hyong-keun beside Rothko makes that tension explicit: RM’s wall text says he did not want Yun left in anyone else’s shadow.
Korean modern art coffee table book
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
From Art-Viewing to Curating
Hypebeast reports that RM’s interest in collecting deepened after he visited the Art Institute of Chicago during BTS’ 2018 tour. He has since become a public advocate for art and Korean cultural heritage. The National Museum of Korea named him its first global ambassador, and he has donated more than $70,000 toward artifact acquisitions, according to the report.
In 2023, RM lent six works by Chang Ucchin to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. “Between You and Me” is described as the first museum presentation of his collection. His earlier music has also touched on Korean art: the source report says Yun Hyong-keun inspired the opening track of RM’s debut solo album, “Indigo,” and describes it as thought to be the first K-pop song dedicated to a Korean painter.
The exhibition title reflects RM’s personal framing of the collection. “I think few things reveal a person as honestly as a collection they have built over a long period,” he said ahead of the opening. “In that sense, this exhibition will be quite a long self-introduction.”
““Yun is often introduced as ‘the Korean Rothko’ — a convenient shorthand for an unfamiliar name. But I didn’t want to leave Yun in anyone’s shadow. So I hung the two side by side.””
— RM, in wall text about Yun Hyong-keun
Attendance and Reception Remain Unknown
The available report does not provide attendance figures, visitor reactions or an independent assessment of the exhibition’s reception. It also does not detail how the 145 works from RM’s collection were selected or provide loan terms. While the report says many works are making their U.S. debut, it does not identify each one or specify which objects have not previously been shown in the country.
The exhibition’s potential effect on awareness of Korean modern and contemporary art remains a matter for future evaluation. The show’s stated curatorial themes and RM’s stated intentions are clear, but their influence on visitors cannot be established from the information currently available.
Exhibition Runs Through February 2027
“Between You and Me” is on view at SFMOMA in San Francisco and is scheduled to close on Feb. 7, 2027. The museum is also offering exhibition merchandise for preorder through its online store, including apparel, accessories, ceramics, posters, journals, notebooks and a zine, according to the source report. Further details about visitor programming or the exhibition’s reception were not provided.
Key Questions
What is “Between You and Me”?
It is an exhibition of Korean modern and contemporary art at SFMOMA, co-curated by RM and museum curators América Castillo and Hyoeun Kim.
How many works are in the exhibition?
The exhibition brings together nearly 200 works: 145 from RM’s collection and 45 from SFMOMA’s holdings, according to the report.
Which artists are included?
Artists from RM’s collection include Kim Whan-ki, Chang Ucchin, Kim Yun Shin, Kwon Jinkyu, Kwon Okyon, Park Rehyun, To Sangbong and Yun Hyong-keun. The exhibition also includes works by international artists such as Mark Rothko and Agnes Martin.
How long will the exhibition be open?
SFMOMA’s exhibition is scheduled to remain on view through Feb. 7, 2027.
Source: rss
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
