BTS' RM Reveals What Makes Him The 'Happiest'

Despite all their accolades as the world's biggest boy band, BTS leader RM says he feels a different kind of joy whenever he visits art exhibitions.

Last year, BTS members visited New York's Metropolitan Museum and presented a gift from the South Korean government while serving as the special envoy for future generations and culture. While it was certainly a momentous occasion for the group, RM said he wants to go back to the museum for a better experience as an art lover.

"I feel happiest when I'm at an art exhibition as an individual," he said in an interview with ARTnews. He also discussed the influence art has on his life.

RM often shares his favorite artworks on his Instagram page and this has been inspiring a new generation of art lovers. In May, several fans trooped to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston after the 27-year-old K-pop superstar uploaded images of some of the works of Canadian-American painter Phillip Guston.

The "Butter" singer has visited dozens of art institutions in his country and the U.S. Some of the most-liked images on his Instagram page include works from Collection Pinault in Paris and the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas.

"I tend to choose an exhibition that features my favorite artist, or a place that I've been curious about, for example, the Guggenheim Museum and the Glenstone Museum. In Korea, I visit museums that feature the artworks of modern and contemporary Korean artists. When I'm abroad, I choose based on the space and artists themselves," he said.

When asked whether he feels a certain sense of pride in seeing Korean artworks featured overseas, RM replied, "I like to think about how different spaces give the artwork different energy and feeling. When seeing works of Korean artists in foreign countries, nationality doesn’t count so much. But I can definitely say that seeing Yun Hyong-Keun's works at the Palazzo Fortuny in Venice and exhibited alongside Donald Judd's works at the Chinati Foundation left me in awe."

RM's love for art is well-known among people in South Korea, and it is appreciated by artists and patrons alike.

"There are a lot of art exhibitions being held these days and they can be divided into two broad categories. The ones RM went to and the ones RM didn't go to," Yang Jeong-Mu, a professor at the Korean National University of Arts, told SBS Power FM last year.