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SFMOMA has opened Between You and Me, a presentation co-curated by BTS leader RM, whose birth name is Kim Namjoon, with museum curators América Castillo and Hyoeun Kim. It brings together 190 works, including 145 from RM’s collection, and is scheduled to run through Feb. 7, 2027.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has opened Between You and Me, an exhibition co-curated by BTS leader RM that presents Korean modern and contemporary art alongside works from the museum’s collection. The show brings together 190 works, including 145 from RM’s personal collection, and is scheduled to remain on view through Feb. 7, 2027.
RM, born Kim Namjoon, worked on the exhibition over two years with SFMOMA curators América Castillo and Hyoeun Kim. The museum describes the presentation as the first museum exhibition of RM’s collection. It includes paintings, photographs, drawings, sculptures, ceramics and calligraphy, with some works making their U.S. debut, according to the source report.
The exhibition is arranged in eight sections: “Blue Water,” “Friendscape,” “Home,” “Photo Buddha,” “People,” “Passion,” “Umber” and “I don’t know, but I like it.” Artists represented from RM’s collection include Kim Whan-ki, Chang Ucchin, Kim Yun Shin, Kwon Jinkyu, Kwon Okyon, Park Rehyun and To Sangbong. The museum’s holdings add works by international artists including Donald Judd, Yves Klein, Agnes Martin, Henri Matisse and Georgia O’Keeffe, as well as Korean artist Nam June Paik.
One pairing places a work by Yun Hyong-keun, a key figure in the Dansaekhwa movement, beside Mark Rothko’s “No. 14” (1980). RM wrote in a wall text that he wanted to avoid presenting Yun simply as “the Korean Rothko,” explaining that he placed the works together without leaving Yun “in anyone’s shadow.” RM also hand-wrote the section titles and recorded audio guides in Korean and English.
RM’s Collection Takes Museum Stage
The exhibition puts a major pop musician’s private art collection into a public museum setting, while giving visitors a focused presentation of Korean modern and contemporary artists. Its combination of RM’s works and SFMOMA holdings creates opportunities to see Korean art alongside artists from other countries, rather than treating it in isolation.
That approach also reflects RM’s stated interest in introducing artists whose work may be less familiar to overseas audiences. The show’s presentation of Yun Hyong-keun beside Rothko illustrates the curatorial choice: a comparison is offered, but RM’s wall text cautions against reducing Yun to a reference point for a better-known Western artist. The selection may help visitors encounter these artists through both individual works and cross-cultural pairings.
For fans, the exhibition makes visible an interest RM has discussed beyond music. For museum visitors, it offers access to pieces from a private collection that have not previously been shown together in a museum exhibition, according to the report. Its significance rests on that combination of personal collecting, institutional curation and public display, not on any claim that the exhibition represents all Korean art.
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A Two-Year Curatorial Collaboration
The project follows RM’s collecting interest, which the source report traces to a visit to the Art Institute of Chicago in 2018 while BTS was touring. RM has since spoken publicly about Korean art and supported its study and presentation. The report says he was named the National Museum of Korea’s first global ambassador and donated more than $70,000 toward artifact acquisitions.
In 2023, RM lent six works by Chang Ucchin to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Korea, according to the report. Between You and Me extends that engagement into a collaboration with SFMOMA, developed with Castillo and Kim over two years. The exhibition includes both historic and modern material, from a centuries-old vase to an early Pikachu animation cell, the report says.
RM has described the exhibition as a personal introduction. Before its opening, he said, “I think few things reveal a person as honestly as a collection they have built over a long period. In that sense, this exhibition will be quite a long self-introduction.” The comment frames the selection as personal, while the museum’s holdings and curatorial partnership shape how it is presented to visitors.
““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 for the exhibition
art exhibition catalog RM collection
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Attendance and Visitor Details
The source report does not provide attendance figures, ticketing details or visitor response, and those outcomes remain unknown. It also does not specify which individual works making their U.S. debut are included, beyond describing the exhibition’s range and examples. The stated closing date is Feb. 7, 2027; any changes to the schedule or exhibition arrangements have not been reported in the supplied material.
The exhibition’s selection should not be read as a complete survey of Korean art. It is shaped by RM’s personal collection and SFMOMA’s holdings, as well as the choices of the co-curators. The report does not give a full checklist or explain the selection criteria for every work.
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The Exhibition Runs Through February
Between You and Me is on view at SFMOMA in San Francisco through Feb. 7, 2027, according to the source report. Visitors can consult the museum for current admission, opening hours and exhibition access information; those details are not included in the supplied report.
SFMOMA is also offering an exhibition merchandise collection for preorder through its online store, the report says. The listed items include apparel, accessories, ceramics, posters, journals, notebooks and a zine. Further visitor information or programming may be announced by the museum, but the source material does not confirm additional dates or events.
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Key Questions
What is Between You and Me?
It is an SFMOMA exhibition co-curated by RM, BTS leader Kim Namjoon, with museum curators América Castillo and Hyoeun Kim. It presents Korean modern and contemporary art alongside works from SFMOMA’s collection.
How many works are in the exhibition?
The show brings together 190 works: 145 from RM’s collection and 45 from SFMOMA’s holdings, according to the source report.
When can visitors see the exhibition?
Between You and Me is scheduled to remain on view at SFMOMA in San Francisco through February 7, 2027. Check the museum for current hours and admission information.
Which artists are included?
Works from RM’s collection include pieces by Kim Whan-ki, Chang Ucchin, Kim Yun Shin, Yun Hyong-keun and others. The SFMOMA selection includes artists such as Mark Rothko, Agnes Martin, Georgia O’Keeffe and Nam June Paik.
Source: rss
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