Crufts Dog Show
- Artist: Chris Steele-Perkins
- Date: 1980–9
- Medium: Photograph, dye destruction on paper
- Dimensions: image: 386 x 254 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the “Crufts Dog Show” by Chris Steele‑Perkins, a colour cibachrome print from his 1980–9 series *The Pleasure Principle*. In it you see a bustling scene of a dog show at Crufts: people in crisp shirts and hats, dogs in their best gear, and the energy of an event that blends sport with leisure. Steele‑Perkins captured these moments to illustrate what he considered distinctly “British” pursuits – a celebration of public rituals around happiness. The photograph is printed on paper using dye‑destruction, giving it a vivid, almost painterly quality. It was acquired by the Photography Acquisitions Committee in 2016 and displayed at Tate Britain as part of the Modern and Contemporary British Art exhibition. The image invites you to imagine the excitement and community spirit that filled that space during the early 1980s.
See it in person
Crufts Dog Show is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
