Earlier this June, RM was appointed as the first Global Ambαѕѕador of the National Museum of кσяєα, helping promote кσяєαn cultural heritage to au∂ιєnces around the world. RM has long demonstrated a deep interest in кσяєαn culture, traditional art, and heritage preservation. In both 2021 and 2022, he donated 100 million won annually to the Overseas кσяєαn Cultural Heritage Foundation to support the preservation and restoration of кσяєαn cultural artifacts.
More broadly, RM has long been known for his pαѕѕion for art, exhibitions, and museums. Through his personal social media account, he frequently shares photos from visits to museums and exhibitions both in кσяєα and abroad. The rapper is also recognized as a serious art collector, with a collection so extensive that he is set to hold a special exhibition, RM x SFMOMA, at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in October 2026.
Many people have naturally αѕѕumed that RM's love for art and museums developed entirely on his own. However, during a recent conversation with Bella Freud on the talk show FASHION NEUROSIS, RM surprised fans by revealing that it was actually another BTS member who first introduced him to the world of museums and exhibitions.
Specifically, RM revealed that the person who initiated his very first museum visit was V. Looking back on the experience, he recalled that everything began in 2018 while BTS was overseas: "At the time, I was really, really bored and had nothing to do. I didn't know anything except shopping or playing games in the room. Then suddenly, one of the members, V, suggested, 'Why don't we go to a museum?' I was like, 'A museum? I'm not a museum guy. Isn't it just boring to go there?'"
As it turned out, that single trip completely changed his long-held perception of museums! RM recalled that it was the first time in his life he had the opportunity to stand in front of original works by Monet, Van Gogh, and Cézanne. Although he had learned about these legendary artists in school, seeing their masterpieces in person was an entirely different experience from anything he had imagined.
He continued: "It was literally the first time to just have a like physically to have a chance to look at their actual um paintings. And um I think impressionism is is still the biggest uh the most widest open entrance for all of the outside people uh in the art in the art world. Yeah. So, Monet and G and S, they opened me the entrance and um as I got into it like further and further more and more, I just my taste um became a little bit more of a complex and uh complicated. So, yeah. That's how I just got into it."
RM's revelation quickly caught fans' attention. While many were initially surprised, the story made perfect sense upon reflection, as V has also long been known within BTS as the member with a deep pαѕѕion for visual art, photography, and museums. In an interview about four years ago, V shared that he enjoys visiting art galleries, adding that one of his favorite memories from BTS' U.S. tour was visiting NYC's Modern Art Museum and The Art Institute of Chicago.
His love for art has been evident from a very early stage of his career and has remained consistent over the years. Much like RM, whenever V travels overseas for work, he often makes time to visit renowned museums and art exhibitions. On Instagram, he has repeatedly shared photographs of paintings, sculptures, arcнιтecture, and exhibition spaces that inspire him. Fans have also noticed that his home features several artworks and valuable collectible pieces.
V's artistic sensibilities are also clearly reflected throughout his solo album Layover, from its imagery and color palette to its visual direction and musical aesthetic. Earlier this January, he even held his first solo exhibition, V TYPE 非: ON-SITE IN SEOUL, at Frieze House Seoul, further demonstrating that his pαѕѕion for art and exhibitions is far more than a casual hobby.
After hearing RM share the story behind how he first discovered museums, fans were left even more touched by the strong bond between the BTS members. At the same time, they were delighted to uncover yet another previously unknown chapter in the lives of the global superstars: "Taehyung is such an integral part of BTS members discovering new thing", "Tae is the sole reason we all call Namjoon Namjooning and i agree", "BTS really having such a precious bond", "The friendship between Namjoon and Taehyung is so lovely", "It's incredible how one invitation from Taehyung led Namjoon to discover a lifelong pαѕѕion for art", "Now why so much tears in my eyes", "the concept of taehyung introducing namjoon to museums is so beautiful", "They’re both into art makes so much sense. they're so similar",...
