Doug Coupland
Bottle No.5 Downey
2002
Hand-carved wood with automotive paint
48 × 24 × 17 in
Created in 2002, Bottle No. 5 Downey is an iconic oversized sculpture by acclaimed artist and author Douglas Coupland. Monumental in scale at four feet tall, this hand-carved wooden sculpture faithfully replicates a familiar household fabric softener bottle coated in ultra-smooth automotive paint. Originating from Coupland’s early 2000s explorations into North American consumer culture, pop iconology, and mass production, the piece elevates mundane everyday packaging into a monumental contemporary Still Life.
This specific sculpture holds exceptional exhibition history and provenance. It was prominently featured in Coupland’s major mid-career retrospective, Douglas Coupland: Everywhere is Anywhere is Anything is Everything, organized by the Vancouver Art Gallery in 2014 and toured nationally to the Royal Ontario Museum. Additionally, the sculpture attracted widespread attention when featured in The New York Times article "Saving the House Next Door," where it was prominently installed in Coupland’s own Vancouver residence.
Douglas Coupland is one of Canada’s most celebrated contemporary visual artists, novelists, and cultural commentators. After graduating from the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in 1984, he achieved international literary fame with his groundbreaking 1991 novel Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture. Returning to his visual arts practice in the 2000s, Coupland gained global recognition for his sculptures, installations, and public monuments that examine technology, mass media, national identity, and late-capitalist culture. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a member of the Order of British Columbia, and a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.
Selected Exhibition History:
Douglas Coupland: Everywhere is Anywhere is Anything is Everything, Vancouver Art Gallery, Royal Ontario Museum, and MOCCA (2014–2015)
Spike, Monte Clark Gallery (Vancouver, BC, 2001–2002)
Totem Gallery (New York, NY)
Major Accolades & Honors:
Officer of the Order of Canada (O.C.)
Order of British Columbia (O.B.C.)
Member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (R.C.A.)
Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence
Selected Permanent Collections:
National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON)
Vancouver Art Gallery (Vancouver, BC)
Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, ON)
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Montreal, QC)
Albright-Knox Art Gallery (Buffalo, NY)
Doug Coupland
Bottle No.5 Downey
2002
Hand-carved wood with automotive paint
48 × 24 × 17 in
Created in 2002, Bottle No. 5 Downey is an iconic oversized sculpture by acclaimed artist and author Douglas Coupland. Monumental in scale at four feet tall, this hand-carved wooden sculpture faithfully replicates a familiar household fabric softener bottle coated in ultra-smooth automotive paint. Originating from Coupland’s early 2000s explorations into North American consumer culture, pop iconology, and mass production, the piece elevates mundane everyday packaging into a monumental contemporary Still Life.
This specific sculpture holds exceptional exhibition history and provenance. It was prominently featured in Coupland’s major mid-career retrospective, Douglas Coupland: Everywhere is Anywhere is Anything is Everything, organized by the Vancouver Art Gallery in 2014 and toured nationally to the Royal Ontario Museum. Additionally, the sculpture attracted widespread attention when featured in The New York Times article "Saving the House Next Door," where it was prominently installed in Coupland’s own Vancouver residence.
Douglas Coupland is one of Canada’s most celebrated contemporary visual artists, novelists, and cultural commentators. After graduating from the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in 1984, he achieved international literary fame with his groundbreaking 1991 novel Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture. Returning to his visual arts practice in the 2000s, Coupland gained global recognition for his sculptures, installations, and public monuments that examine technology, mass media, national identity, and late-capitalist culture. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a member of the Order of British Columbia, and a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.
Selected Exhibition History:
Douglas Coupland: Everywhere is Anywhere is Anything is Everything, Vancouver Art Gallery, Royal Ontario Museum, and MOCCA (2014–2015)
Spike, Monte Clark Gallery (Vancouver, BC, 2001–2002)
Totem Gallery (New York, NY)
Major Accolades & Honors:
Officer of the Order of Canada (O.C.)
Order of British Columbia (O.B.C.)
Member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (R.C.A.)
Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence
Selected Permanent Collections:
National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON)
Vancouver Art Gallery (Vancouver, BC)
Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, ON)
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Montreal, QC)
Albright-Knox Art Gallery (Buffalo, NY)
