Installed “above the shop,” H.D. Buttercup’s Apartment imagines how the fictional founder of California’s most extraordinary purveyor of furnishings lives with art and design
 
The exhibition is part of the launch of H.D. Buttercup’s new retail flagship and corporate headquarters in the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District

H.D. Buttercup, the largest home furnishings purveyor in California, presents H.D. Buttercup’s Apartment, a salon-style installation of modern and contemporary art and design curated by Berlin-based gallerist Michael Fuchs, on the occasion of the opening of the new retail flagship and corporate headquarters in the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District. Conceived as the imagined “over-the-shop apartment” of H.D. Buttercup’s fictional founder and chief buyer Herbert Buttercup, the installation will fill the entire second floor of the 30,000 square-foot former warehouse, located in the heart of the Downtown L.A.’s Arts District.
 
H.D. Buttercup’s Apartment will be installed as a living space for the colorful fictional character H.D. Buttercup, born Herbie Buttenscheimer in Queens, New York. Herbert moved to Hollywood, changed his name, and reinvented himself as a furniture dealer and collector, traveling the world to source art and design that capture his attention. He is loosely modeled on H.D. Buttercup founder Evan Cole, who previously created and lived on the top floor of ABC Carpet and Home in New York City. The living and dining vignettes of the Apartment will include modern and contemporary sculpture, photographs, video, and paintings, ranging from a 2014 virtual video work by Marco Brambilla, to a 2013 Douglas Gordon light bulb sculpture, to a 1960s nude by Philip Pearlstein. Other artists included in the exhibition are: William N. Copley, Andreas Golder, Paul Hosking, Michael Rovner, Noé Sendas, Olivia Berckemeyer, Frank Stella, and others, whose works are installed alongside vintage furniture, rugs, lamps, and other pieces from the collection of Michael Fuchs, including iconic pieces such as a Verner Panton “Cloverleaf” sofa and a Muslingestolar “Clam” chair, to reflect the fictional Buttercup’s eclectic taste.
 
H.D. Buttercup’s founder, Evan Cole comments: “When I visited Michael’s building in Berlin, which houses his gallery and apartment, I was struck by the ease in which he combines art of all mediums and periods, with eclectic pieces of design, both high and low. I was struck that this is how H.D. Buttercup would live—a Panton chair beneath a Copley erotic painting, lit by a Douglas Gordon light bulb sculpture, set atop a luxurious antique carpet.” Cole elaborates, “Collaborating with Michael on Buttercup’s apartment in Downtown L.A.’s arts district is a kind of coming out for Buttercup. L.A. is a culture that has matured, and Angelenos have a true desire to collect, to bring aesthetic texture into their homes, whether they live in Bel Air, Silver Lake, Beverly Hills, Eagle Rock or Downtown. H.D. Buttercup’s Apartment is a reflection of this authentic eclecticism which will be at the heart of everything we do downtown and beyond.”
 
Michael Fuchs notes, “Having been a part of Berlin’s rebirth into a vibrant city for art, artists, and eclecticism, it is exciting to participate in the transformation of Los Angeles’ Downtown Arts District through H.D. Buttercup’s Apartment. Los Angeles is now a world-class city for art, culture and design, with the Arts District as a growing center for galleries, studios and more. Evan recognized this early-on and saw the opportunity to be among the first to bring art to this growing center.”
 
H.D. Buttercup’s Apartment will be on view from December 12, 2015 through March 26, 2016.
 
About H.D. Buttercup’s New Downtown Location
H.D. Buttercup’s new flagship is positioned in the heart of the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District, a burgeoning center for the city’s arts, fashion, and food scenes. The store is designed to be a part of the fabric of the original Arts District community with a repurposed and refurbished brick warehouse space that is flooded with light, and a largely untouched original structural design. The interior architecture is deliberately intended to maintain the historic charm and energy of the two original buildings, which have been united to create one contiguous space. H.D. Buttercup Downtown Los Angeles is designed by architect Sean Dix (Hong Kong). More than just a retail outpost, the third floor of this new flagship will house the corporate headquarters for H.D. Buttercup.