Hansen Fuller Gallery, 228 Grant Avenue between Sutter and Post, now John Beggruen Gallery

Chris Burden , Garcon (3rd-7th August 1976)

Description

The week of 3-7 August, I served cappuccino and expresso (sic) to visitors to the Hansen Fuller Gallery. I did this during gallery hours, 10.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., for an entire week, serving more than 300 cups of coffee. The gallery made no announcement of the performance, and a group painting show opened concurrently with my piece.

I installed a white mini-bar, complete with cappuccino machine, demitasse cups, expresso spoons, etc., on a wall near the entrance to the gallery. Attired in a gray cotton orderly’s jacket and carrying a silver tray, I approached entering visitor’s and politely asked them if they would care for either a cappuccino or an expresso, which I would serve them while they looked at my paintings. My attire and demeanor were such that only a handful of people out of the hundreds who attended the show recognized me as “Chris Burden.” (Burden 2007: 307)