RM Spends 1 Billion KRW to Acquire Famous Artwork, Expected to Be the Highlight of His Upcoming Exhibition

 

 

 

 

As ARMYs already know, in early October, SFMOMA announced its collaboration wit BTS's leader, RM, for a special exhibition titled "RM x SFMOMA" which will run from October 2026 to February 2027.

For the first time, RM will step into the world of fine arts not merely as an admirer but as a true curator. This groundbreaking project establishes an unprecedented connection between a global pop icon and one of the world's top modern art museums, drawing significant attention from both the music and art communities.

While many were surprised by the announcement, longtime followers of RM were not. Considering his deep and enduring passion of art, along with his extensive and valuable personal collection, it's clear that he possesses both the credibility and the resources to curate his own exhibition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The large-scale exhibition is reportedly set to feature around 200 artworks, combining pieces from RM's personal collection with works from SFMOMA's archives. Among them, is one highly anticipated piece that RM reportedly spent a significant sum to acquire at an auction not long ago, and it's expected to be one of the exhibition's highlights.

 

The artwork in question is The Wind Testifies (also known as Le vent en témoigne), an oil-on-canvas painting created in 1965 by Korean artist Seund Ja Rhee. According to The JoongAng, during a Christie's Hong Kong auction in 2021, the painting was sold for 5,625,000 Hong Kong dollars—equivalent to over 1 billion KRW. However, that was not the final price when it came into RM's possessions.

 

 

 

  

A year after the auction, the piece appeared in BTS superstar's art collection on his Instagram account. Given the value of artworks typically appreciates over time, experts have speculated that RM likely paid more than 1 billion KRW to acquire the painting.

 

The piece owned by RM is regarded as one of the finest examples of Seund Ja Rhee's artistic style. Rhee, a pioneering abstract artist in Korea, was known for her ability to create harmony between contrasting concepts—yin and yang, order and freedom, softness and solidity, East and West.

The Wind Testifies is composed of thousands of tiny brushstrokes and simple geometrics shapes such as circles, triangles, and squares, symbolizing the fundamental elements of the universe. The repetition of these forms creates a visual rhythm that evokes the passage of time, breath, and the invisible movement of the wind.

The artwork reflects Rhee's inner world as an expatriate woman seeking harmony between humanity and nature, the visible and the invisible. The "wind" in her painting is not merely a natural phenomenon but also a metaphor for freedom, memory, and longing for home. Through this piece, Rhee demonstrated that art can serve as a bridge connecting emotions, memories, and souls beyond all boundaries.

For that reason, both the art world and fans are eagerly anticipating the painting's appearance at the upcoming RM x SFMOMA exhibition.

In addition to this valuable piece, the exhibition reportedly includes works by renowned Korean artists such as Yun Hyong-keun, Park Rehyun, Kwok Ok-yeon, Kim Yoonshin, Do Sang-bong, and Chang Ucchin, alongside masterpieces by international art legends including Kim Whanki, Mark Rothko, Henri Matisse, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Paul Klee.

 

Beyond admiring RM's collection—precious both literally and figuratively—the exhibition will also offer visitors the opportunity to witness and explore his profound artistic worldview. Since the announcement of the event, it has generated great excitement among fans, including many who previously had little interest in the world of visual art.