The Guardian: “Over 66,000 exhibition tickets sold… six times higher than any pre-sale for prior exhibitions”
Featuring Yun Hyong-keun, Park Re-hyun, Chang Uc-chin and more… building sustained engagement through repeat visits and museum memberships
The personal art collection of BTS member RM is drawing crowds to an American museum. Driven by devotion to the K-pop icon, fans are visiting exhibition halls and encountering modern and contemporary Korean art in the process. It stands as a prime example of K-pop’s global influence extending far beyond concert venues and album sales into wider cultural arenas.
Hosted at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), "RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me" presents a curated dialogue between RM’s private collection and works from the museum’s permanent holdings. Running from October 3 through February 7, 2027, the exhibition marks the first time RM’s collection has been showcased in a museum setting. Co-curated by RM alongside SFMOMA’s America Castillo and Hyo Eun Kim, the project reflects the artist’s distinct curatorial vision.
According to the UK’s *Guardian*, ticket sales for the exhibition surpassed 66,000 as of the 24th, with advance sales outpacing any previous exhibition in the museum’s history. Exhibition merchandise sold out both in-store and online within three hours, the report noted. The reported figures represent ticket sales at the time of publication and are distinct from actual cumulative visitor counts.
Entering Through the Name of BTS RM, Encountering Korean Artists
[Photo caption: RM attending the 2025 W Korea event. Photo = TV10 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0]
Per SFMOMA’s official announcements, the exhibition features approximately 180 works by both Korean and international artists. Several pieces from RM’s collection are being publicly displayed in the United States for the first time. The exhibition is structured to anchor modern and contemporary Korean art while juxtaposing pieces from disparate eras and cultural backgrounds.
RM’s collection features works by notable Korean masters such as Yun Hyong-keun, Park Re-hyun, Chang Uc-chin, Kim Yun-shin, Kwon Ok-yon, and Do Sang-bong. These are placed in conversation with SFMOMA’s holdings, which include works by Kim Whanki, Nam June Paik, Mark Rothko, Agnes Martin, and Henri Matisse. This arrangement illustrates how artists from different traditions approach shared themes such as nature, memory, and human existence.
Highlighting one such pairing, *The Guardian* pointed to the meeting of Yun Hyong-keun and Mark Rothko. In the gallery, Yun’s *Umber-Blue* is hung side-by-side with Rothko’s *No. 24*, allowing visitors to simultaneously appreciate RM’s personal aesthetic preferences and the visual dialogues connecting the works.
RM’s involvement went far beyond lending his collection; he actively participated in shaping the visitor experience. He recorded audio guides in both Korean and English, penned exhibition texts, and curated a dedicated playlist for the gallery spaces. By sharing not only his selections but also his perspective, RM deeply infused the visitor journey with his own sensibility.
The defining characteristic of this exhibition lies in the divergence between its starting point and its ultimate destination. While visitors may be initially drawn in by RM, what they encounter inside the galleries is a diverse spectrum of artists. It serves as a vital bridge connecting K-pop fandom to a genuine appreciation of Korean art.
The $75 Encore Pass: Transforming Fan Visits into Deep Museum Engagement
To encourage repeated engagement, SFMOMA has introduced an "Encore Pass" priced at $75, granting unlimited re-entry for the duration of the exhibition. Passholders also gain access to the museum's other galleries on the day of their visit, though timed reservations are still required.
While the Encore Pass is a specialized exhibition product separate from standard annual memberships, the museum has built a pathway to long-term affiliation. Visitors who choose to upgrade to an SFMOMA membership can apply the full $75 cost of their Encore Pass toward their membership fee.
This structure prevents visit demand driven by a star’s name from remaining a one-off event. By encouraging visitors to re-examine familiar works, discover new galleries, and eventually transition into regular museum members, the initiative is strategically designed to convert transient fan interest into sustainable, long-term patronage.
Of course, whether this mechanism will translate into tangible membership growth or enduring interest in Korean art requires ongoing assessment. Attracting initial foot traffic must be distinguished from cultivating a lasting new audience.
The Next Question for Box-Office Success: "What Legacy Was Left Behind?"
The exhibition has also drawn attention for injecting vitality into a museum that has recently faced financial headwinds. *The Guardian* reported that SFMOMA cut 7.5% of its workforce last year amid a $5 million deficit, noting that the museum has experienced positive financial impacts since the opening of the RM exhibition.
However, robust ticket sales and merchandise sell-outs alone do not equate to a complete resolution of the museum’s structural deficit. What has been definitively proven is surging consumer demand and merchandising success. Evaluating the exhibition’s true profitability and its contribution to the museum’s overarching financial recovery requires a comprehensive review of operational revenues and expenses.
Evaluating cultural impact demands a different set of questions: Did visitors who came to see RM discover new artists, and will they continue to seek out Korean art long after the exhibition closes? Beyond the sheer scale of box-office success, where that attention ultimately flows is what matters most.
This phenomenon offers domestic museums and galleries much food for thought: how to transition collaborations with popular culture from fleeting trends into profound encounters with artists and their works. When visitors drawn in through a star-studded doorway return for the intrinsic allure of art itself, the meeting between K-pop fandom and the art world can endure far beyond the final curtain.
