A Saskatoon-based art magazine is backing down from printing some controversial images of children.

Blackflash magazine originally planned to run images of famous art that sexualized children to accompany an article on art and child pornography in an upcoming issue.

But lawyers warned the magazine might be breaking Canada's new child porn law if the pictures were published.

Instead, the 23-year-old magazine will run blank spaces, along with website addresses linking people to the images.

The article, Last Taboo, Child Sexuality and Censorship, was written by Kyla and James Legard. Until recently, they both taught art history and sociology at the University of Calgary.

Managing editor Lissa Robinson says she's astounded by the controversy surrounding the article and images that will be on newsstands later this month.

All the art has been published before, with some images hanging in New York's Guggenheim museum, she told CBC Radio.

"Because all of the art images are really well-known historical images, we knew that they were sensitive, but because of their legitimacy, we just did not foresee this at all," she said.

Editorial chair Bart Gazzola says the magazine was torn between artistic freedom and the need to stay within the law.

Two printers turned down the job because they feared legal consequences under Canada's wide-ranging child pornography laws.

"We can actually invoke that kind of artistic merit notion. But our printer is a business, and it's really important that we show due diligence in terms of our business relationships, and they would not have that same defence," he said.

Among the images is a Robert Mapplethorpe photograph of a three-year-old girl sitting on a stone bench that is part of the Guggenheim Museum collection. The child is not wearing underpants and sits in a way that exposes her genitals.

Another familiar image the magazine discusses is a photograph of a nude child taken by Charles Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll.

Among the more gripping images is a photograph of a child prostitute in India.

"It is not explicit, but it's the fact of what it implies," Gazzola said.

"It's really quite disturbing and really quite horrible, but that, in fact, is the photographer's point, and … the whole point of being able to comment on these is very important."

The issue has divided the magazine's board. Former chair Isobel Findlay resigned in October.