RM Special Exhibition Propels MU Exports to Record High, Up 71%

[Financial News] A small Pensive Bodhisattva figurine making a finger heart and giving a thumbs-up is set to meet American audiences. The product, also owned by BTS member RM, is a popular item from MU, a museum merchandise brand.
On the 2nd, the Cultural Foundation of National Museum of Korea announced that it would supply 39 MU products to a local museum shop in connection with a special exhibition jointly planned by RM and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). The initial order is worth approximately $110,000, making it the largest single order the foundation has exported to an overseas museum.

At SFMOMA, a leading modern art museum in the American West, the special exhibition 'RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me' will run from October 3 through February 7, 2027.
As a global ambassador for the National Museum of Korea, RM planned the exhibition with SFMOMA. It features approximately 180 works, including pieces from RM's personal collection and the museum's holdings, and introduces works by Korean and international artists, with a focus on modern and contemporary Korean art.
In connection with the exhibition, the foundation will supply 39 MU products to the SFMOMA museum shop. The initial order is worth approximately $110,000, about 71% more than the roughly $64,000 generated by two exports during last year's Smithsonian Institution special exhibition of works donated by Lee Kun-hee.
The featured product is 'Miniature Gilt-bronze Maitreya in Meditation (Mind Series),' inspired by the Pensive Bodhisattva statue at the National Museum of Korea. Other products inspired by Korean cultural heritage and artworks, including moon jars, celadon, Najeon (mother-of-pearl inlay), and Bojagi, will also be showcased.



[email protected] Shin Jin-a Reporter