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kim namjoon at a museum

Kim Namjoon Artist BTS

BTS musician and art enthusiast RM (Kim Namjoon) is a South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer. He became interested in art following a visit to the Chicago Art Institute in 2018. He now shares his trips to museums with nearly 39 million followers on Instagram. RM’s fans follow his lead, visiting the same cultural institutions and sharing their discoveries on social media. The term ‘namjooning’ refers to visiting museums and appreciating architecture and art.

Charles Read, blooloop’s managing director, says: “Kim Namjoon is a great example of an influencer in the truest sense of the word: ‘a person who affects or changes the way other people behave’. His genuine interest in art and his visits to museums around the world have created ‘BTS bumps’ and encouraged his legions of fans to learn more about museums, art and culture.”

RM discussed his passion for art museums in an episode of Intersections: The Art Basel Podcast. The podcast features artists, architects, gallerists, designers, musicians and collectors. It is hosted by Marc Spiegler, the global director of Art Basel. “When people come to Korea… we cannot see the great Korean artists because there are not many museums right now, there are not many galleries right now,” RM said. “So I want to make my own sometime.”

In 2022, Namjoon donated 100 million Korean won to the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation (OKCHF) to fund the restoration of a traditional Korean bridal gown held by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). After being restored, the royal hwarot robe will go on view at Korea’s National Palace Museum in 2023. It will be exhibited at LACMA in 2024.

RM plans to give another 100m Korean won to OKCHF to support the production of a catalogue of Korean paintings owned by overseas museums. In 2020, he gifted 100m Korean won to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. RM also provided comment on some of the artworks for a LACMA exhibition’s audio guide. It is one of the first major exhibitions of modern Korean art in a Western museum. 

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