SFMOMA Opens RM Collection Show Oct. 3 as Global Museums Chase K-pop Fandoms

SFMOMA opens RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me on October 3, running through February 7.

Museum members get in early—a preview window runs October 1–3, ahead of the general opening. Member-exclusive ticket reservations opened on the 4th of this month, a full week before general reservations go live. The museum is also rolling out an Encore Pass tied to the exhibition. Encore Pass holders get a 10% discount at the in-venue store. (Museum membership itself grants free access to SFMOMA for one year.)

This arrives after the National Museum of Korea appointed RM as a global ambassador in June. Two major institutional moves for the same artist in a few months.

SFMOMA is not alone in leaning into K-pop fanbases. The British Museum ran an interactive program at its Korean gallery last month, timed to BTS's London concerts. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art operated a free BTS Sound Cube listening space at its Seoul branch during BTS's comeback last year. The Victoria and Albert Museum ran its Korean Wave! exhibition from 2022 to 2023, and that show traveled to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston in 2024.

BLACKPINK's fandom is getting its own institutional moment. The National Museum of Korea set up a new-song listening space for BLACKPINK's March comeback and provided audio guides in Korean, English, and Thai featuring members Jennie, Lisa, Rosé, and Jisoo. The museum's cultural goods brand Muse begins presale on the 8th of this month for a Heritage Collection marking BLACKPINK's 10th debut anniversary. Items include half-closed boxes, moon jars, fans, and comb-shaped key rings, all in the group's signature pink and black.

Art critic Jung Jun-mo framed the trend plainly: "After COVID-19, overseas museums faced financial burden from decreased visitors and increased operating costs." Securing fandoms like ARMY as new visitors and members, he said, "is a practical strategy." He added that domestic museums collaborating with K-pop artists "should not simply borrow their fame" and need to explain how the marketing connects to collections, exhibitions, and institutional roles.