One of Britain's most prestigious art galleries has reportedly removed a nude photo of actress Brooke Shields as a child.

The Tate Modern had been planning to include the photo of Shields, aged 10, wearing heavy make-up and taken from the knees up, in its new Pop Life exhibition which opens to the public on Thursday (local time).

The picture, taken by American artist Richard Prince and called Spiritual America, was removed from display by gallery officials after a visit from the police Obscene Publications Unit, according to The Guardian newspaper.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed that officers from the unit had met Tate staff on Wednesday.

"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 said.

The image of Shields was of potential concern to police because it was of a 10-year-old and could be viewed as sexually provocative, the newspaper reported, quoting sources.

The work, which is a photograph of a photograph, was recently shown in New York at the Guggenheim Museum without attracting major controversy.

A Tate spokeswoman confirmed the display had been "temporarily closed down" and the catalogue for the exhibition withdrawn from sale.

The work was to be accompanied by a warning about its sensitivity.

The Tate had sought legal advice before including the photo in its exhibition.

- AFP