Photo seized from gallery over child porn fears

A photograph from Sir Elton John's private collection has been seized from an art gallery by police on suspicion of breaking child pornography laws.

The work, by the American photographer Nan Goldin, shows two young girls, one of whom is shown sitting with her legs apart.

Police removed the picture from the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead on Thursday, the day before the exhibition which it formed part of was due to open to the public. They were contacted by management at the gallery, who were concerned about the image.

The photograph is being examined by the police to assess whether it breaches the 1978 Protection of Children Act. The Baltic would not confirm yesterday that the work in question was by Goldin.

"Thanksgiving", a set of 100 Goldin photographs described as a "micro-retrospective of her career", went on display on Friday as part of a series of exhibitions of art taken from the private collections of individuals.