Two weeks after Brett Murray's The Spear furore, the effects are still being felt, with artist Kerry Edgar being asked to censor her works at a Johannesburg mall.

On thursday Edgar said she had been told by Hyde Park Corner management that three paintings from her 22-piece exhibition, Plato's Cave, were "too provocative".

Edgar insists the centre's views were informed by the storm over Murray's controversial depiction of President Jacob Zuma's genitals .

One of her paintings, titled Mona Lisa, depicts a man fondling a woman's breasts, with the caption: "Every man thinks he's Mozart. Every woman is the Mona Lisa."

The centre found two other paintings "provocative".

Edgar, who was sticking newspapers over her paintings on thursday, said: "We had a pretty successful opening [on Tuesday], and people loved the stuff.

"This morning I got a visit from the centre management to say they had had a merchants' meeting and felt the stuff is provocative and not suitable and a bare-breasted woman is not appropriate," she said.

Edgar was given the option of covering the breasts in the painting or removing the exhibition.

She said she decided to cover up because she had gone to a lot of expense to get the exhibition up.

Five of her works - totalling R150000 - have already been sold

Jacqui McGeehan, general manager at Hyde Park Corner, said her team initially saw the artwork as "pop art", but then a few people took exception to it.

"Our primary function is to cater to our shoppers and they are of all ages," McGeehan said. "If we get objections in terms of certain pieces, we have to address it."