A nude photograph of the actress Brooke Shields as a ten-year-old has been removed from the Tate Modern gallery after a police investigation.

Spiritual America, by photographer Richard Prince, shows Shields from the knees up, naked, oiled, wearing make-up and looking directly into the camera.

The picture had been due to go on show on Thursday as part of the gallery’s Pop Life: Art In A Material World exhibition.

But after officers from the Obscene Publications Unit met with gallery bosses, the controversial picture has been removed.

"The room is temporarily closed and we are in discussions with the police at the moment," said a spokeswoman for the Tate Modern.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said officers met with gallery staff on Wednesday, ahead of the opening of the exhibition which will feature sexually explicit imagery and works created from the pages of pornographic publications.

"The officers have specialist experience in this field and are keen to work with gallery management to ensure that they do not inadvertently break the law or cause any offence to their visitors," he added.

Children’s campaigners had criticised plans to include the photograph in the exhibition, with Kidscape founder Michele Elliott telling the Daily Telegraph it was "certainly not art" and "bordering on child pornography".

Spiritual America is a photograph of a photograph, with the original taken by commercial photographer Gary Gross in 1976 for Playboy publication Sugar ‘n’ Spice after being commissioned by Shields’ own mother.

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