Bill Henson model costs art mag $100, 000

A picture is worth $100,000 when Bill Henson is the photographer.

Police investigations into artist Bill Henson's controversial photographs left Art World magazine with no other alternative than to fork out $100,00 and pulp all 25,000 copies of its latest issue.

The bi-monthly publication featured Henson as its cover story along with images from his The Last Picture Show of a naked 13-year-old girl. Images from the show were recently confiscated from the Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery in Sydney by police and have sparked fierce debate as to whether or not the content is pornographic or artistic.

Until investigations are cleared, Stephen Bush, publisher of Art World magazine was advised to pulp the latest issue only days before it was due to hit the newsstands.  "We really had no choice," he told media. "These images are part of a police investigation."

Bush said that the story on Henson was completed in April. While the piece still remains in the magazine, the confiscated pictures have all been removed from the cover and the article.

"This story was planned ages ago and we don't want to be seen to be cashing in on something which has been sensationalised," Bush said.