The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is bracing for an unprecedented surge in visitors over the coming months, and the reason has less to do with traditional art patrons than with one of the world's biggest pop stars. RM, the leader of the globally renowned K-pop group BTS, is displaying works from his private art collection at the museum for the very first time, and fans are turning out in force to see it.
The exhibition, titled "RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me," opened to a sold-out first day of previews, with throngs of admirers packing the galleries. The museum's retail operation is responding accordingly. Shane Salvata, SFMOMA's director of retail, said the institution has never prepared so much merchandise in advance for any exhibition. "This is hands down the most inventory that we've ever front-loaded for an exhibition," he said, underscoring just how significant the anticipated turnout is for the museum's bottom line.
Among those who secured tickets for the opening preview were Joi Karra and Bre Walker, two Bay Area residents in their twenties who embody the intersection of fandom and cultural engagement that this exhibition represents. The two first crossed paths a few months ago at a local BTS-themed event organized by Walker, illustrating how the band's fan community functions as a social network that extends well beyond music appreciation.
Karra, a college student, brings both artistic interest and entrepreneurial energy to her fandom. She has visited SFMOMA on numerous occasions and describes herself as a lover of art and museums. She also runs a side business crafting BTS-inspired pins and accessories. For her, the exhibition is a natural convergence of two passions that have long coexisted.
Walker, by contrast, represents a different kind of visitor — one the museum likely hopes to attract in large numbers. She readily admits she is not particularly arts-oriented and had never set foot in an art museum before this occasion. Her presence at SFMOMA is entirely attributable to her admiration for the BTS frontman, whom she refers to by his birth name, Kim Nam-joon. The fact that a pop culture figure can draw someone into a museum for the first time speaks to the unique bridging role RM appears to be playing between popular entertainment and the fine art world.
RM's connection to visual art is not a recent development or a passing trend. He began visiting museums and acquiring artworks nearly ten years ago, cultivating a genuine and sustained interest in painting and sculpture. His real name, Kim Nam-joon, is familiar to devoted fans, and his stage name has evolved over time — he was once known as "Rap Monster" before adopting the abbreviated version almost a decade ago.
BTS's fanbase, collectively known as ARMY — an acronym standing for "Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth" — has even coined a term to describe the lifestyle inspired by the star's interests. The verb is "Namjooning," and it refers to engaging in the kinds of activities that RM himself enjoys. According to Karra, the word essentially means doing all the things that Nam-joon loves to do. Visiting museums and collecting art sit at the very heart of this practice, transforming what might otherwise be solitary cultural pursuits into a shared community activity.
The depth of RM's artistic engagement is reflected not only in his collecting habits but also in his creative output. His passion for painting and sculpture has directly influenced some of his music, including a song titled "Yun," which draws inspiration from the work of Yun Hyong-keun, a twentieth-century Korean abstract artist. This crossover demonstrates that RM's relationship with art is not merely passive consumption but an active source of artistic inspiration that feeds back into his own creative work.
The exhibition arrives at a moment when museums across the United States are grappling with how to attract younger, more diverse audiences. SFMOMA's decision to host a show curated around a pop star's personal collection represents a strategic bet that celebrity-driven programming can serve as a gateway to broader cultural participation. The presence of visitors like Walker — a first-time museum-goer motivated primarily by her affection for RM — suggests that bet may be paying off.
For the museum, the exhibition offers potential long-term benefits that extend beyond ticket sales and gift shop revenue. Visitors who come for the K-pop connection may discover a lasting appreciation for the visual arts, becoming repeat patrons in the future. The sold-out preview day and the aggressive merchandise stocking indicate that SFMOMA is prepared to capitalize on the immediate enthusiasm while planting seeds for ongoing engagement.
The phenomenon also highlights the evolving role of celebrities as cultural tastemakers in an era when social media allows fan communities to organize, share information, and mobilize around shared interests with remarkable speed and efficiency. RM's personal collection, assembled over years of deliberate study and acquisition, lends his recommendations a credibility that goes beyond casual celebrity endorsement.
For ARMY members, the exhibition represents an opportunity to connect with their idol on a more intimate level — not through music or performance, but through the objects he has chosen to live with and the aesthetic sensibilities those choices reveal. This kind of access to a star's private world is rare, and it explains why fans are willing to travel and spend money to experience it.
The intersection of K-pop fandom and institutional art spaces also raises interesting questions about how cultural hierarchies are shifting. When a pop musician's taste can fill a major modern art museum, the traditional boundaries between high and popular culture become increasingly porous. SFMOMA's embrace of this dynamic positions the institution as forward-thinking rather than elitist.
As the exhibition continues its run, the museum will be watching closely to see whether the initial frenzy sustains itself over the coming months. If early indicators hold, "RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me" may become a case study in how to successfully marry blockbuster celebrity appeal with serious artistic curation — a model that other institutions may seek to replicate in the years ahead.
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