EUROPE'S CULTURAL establishment has leapt to the defence of the director of the historic cole Des Beaux Arts in Paris after he was placed under judicial investigation for displaying "paedopornographic" images at an exhibition on childhood.

In a case that has reawakened debate over the limits of artistic freedom, Henry-Claude Cousseau, a 60-year-old veteran of the French arts scene, may face trial over a 2000 show entitled Presumed Innocent: Contemporary Art And Childhood.

The exhibition - featuring 80 international artists - was put on at the Museum Of Contemporary Art, where Cousseau was director of museums before taking up his post at the world-famous arts school in central Paris.

The judicial investigation - a precursor to possible charges - results from a complaint filed in 2000 by the children's rights group La Mouette (The Seagull), which said that 24 of the works on display in Bordeaux broke the law by presenting children in sexual and violent situations. The six-year time lag is not unusual in the French legal system.

Among the controversial items were photographs of sodomy in the presence of children and of the torture of children, as well as a video of masturbation by the Austrian performance artist Elke Krystufek. This was screened at the end of a low plastic tunnel which children visiting the exhibition were inevitably tempted to enter, according to La Mouette's president Annie Gourgue.

"We accuse Monsieur Cousseau of displaying pornographic images of children that are an attack on human dignity, and of allowing children and adolescents to see them," said La Mouette's lawyer Christine Maze. "There is no question of trying to limit freedom of expression. Our case rests entirely on the issue of protecting children. If the show had been adults-only, we would not have gone to court."

Groups of children from 49 elementary schools visited the exhibition, though only two teachers complained to the museum about the content, Le Monde newspaper reported.

Cousseau has been placed under investigation for "displaying paedopornographic images" and "corruption of minors by exposing documents that attack children's dignity" - charges which bear a maximum sentence of three years and a 75,000 (£50,700) fine.

A veteran arts administrator and a Knight of the Legion of Honour, Cousseau said he was shocked by the judge's decision. Police had inspected the exhibition at the time and decided there was no breach of the law, he said. Potentially upsetting works were clearly marked with warning signs and attendants made sure children were kept away from them. "The show was about the fragility of children and how their image can be exploited," he said.

Culture minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres defended Cousseau as "a man who is widely respected for his competence and ethical sense".