Located in Kyrenia, The Arkın Rodin Collection Gallery is a museum and collection space accessible to ARUCAD students, academic staff and visitors. The Gallery houses the most comprehensive known collection of works by Auguste Rodin in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The collection was assembled over many years by Erbil Arkın, a Cypriot businessman and the Founder of Arkin University of Creative Arts and Design. Bringing together 33 authenticated and certified works by Auguste Rodin, one of the pioneers of modern sculpture, the collection includes internationally recognised works such as The Kiss, Eternal Spring and Falling Man.

All works in the collection have been documented and certified by the Comité Rodin, established by Rodin expert Jérôme Le Blay and François Lorenceau, President of the Brame & Lorenceau Gallery in Paris.

Art-Historical Significance of the Collection

Through works dating from the period between 1880 and 1925, the collection provides an opportunity to examine Rodin’s artistic approach and the development of modern sculpture. It also includes examples of figures designed for Rodin’s monumental work The Gates of Hell, inspired by the Inferno section of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy.

Through the relationship between the human body, movement, emotion, surface and expression, the works enable visitors to observe the transition of European sculpture from nineteenth-century Romanticism to twentieth-century Modernism.

The Story of the Collection

Erbil Arkın’s interest in Rodin began during his youth. This interest deepened when, at the age of sixteen, he encountered Rodin’s The Kiss at the Tate Gallery in London. Arkın’s personal dedication to the arts and his long-standing admiration for Rodin formed the foundation of the collection.

Initially preserved as a private collection, the works were first shared with the public in 2017 on the occasion of ARUCAD’s establishment, contributing to the cultural and artistic life of Northern Cyprus.

Since 2021, the collection has been on permanent display at The Arkın Rodin Collection Gallery, located within The Clock Tower, the headquarters of The Arkın Group in Kyrenia.

A Museum for Education and Research

The Arkın Rodin Collection Gallery provides ARUCAD students with a distinctive learning environment in which they can examine significant works of art at close range. The Gallery is used for course visits related to art history, sculpture, visual communication, photography, design, critical thinking and creative writing.

During course visits, students can examine the works from historical, technical and aesthetic perspectives and participate in discussions about form, material, movement, emotion and human experience. Visits contribute to the development of students’ skills in visual analysis, personal interpretation, research, writing and storytelling through photography.

The Gallery can also be used for academic studies, guided student visits, cultural and artistic events, and interdisciplinary learning activities.

Location and Visitor Information

Location: The Clock Tower, Kyrenia city centre
Access from campus: The Gallery is located next to the ARUCAD Main Campus and can be reached on foot.
Visitors: Open to ARUCAD students, academic and administrative staff, researchers and the general public.
Admission: Free of charge

Opening Hours

• Monday: 10:00–19:00

• Tuesday: 10:00–19:00

• Wednesday: 10:00–19:00

• Thursday: 10:00–19:00

• Friday: 10:00–19:00

• Saturday: 10:00–19:00

• Sunday: Closed

Telephone: +90 392 650 11 11
Address: Ecevit Avenue, Kyrenia 9000