How low can she go? Courtney Love posts provocative photos of herself on Facebook

She's become a controversial figure thanks to her inane internet ramblings, her apparent drug habit and, of course, the fallout after the death of ex-partner Kurt Cobain.

So this provocative photoshoot starring Courtney Love should come as little surprise considering her carefully cultivated outrageous image.

The 45-year-old rock musician posted a series of near-the-knuckle photographs - which we have edited for reasons of taste - from the shoot on her Facebook page.

Controversial: Courtney Love poses on all fours as transexual model Amanda Lepore pretends to whip her in the outrageous new photoshoot

Courtney proudly poses topless in the shock pictures which are thought to be from a few years ago - hence the absence of her more recent body art.

In one particularly bizarre shot, she is seen crouching on all fours dressed in leopard print underwear, with a matching hat and stockings as famous U.S. transexual Amanda Lepore prepares to whip her behind.

Lepore, who was born Armand Lepore, is well-known for her extreme cosmetic surgery, resulting in large breasts and her plumped up lips.

Thriller: The Hole singer recreates Michael Jackson's crotch grabbing move in one of the shots - although she doesn't appear to be wearing any underwear

In another photo Courtney appears to adopt Michael Jackson's infamous crotch grabbing move in a revealing black dress.

Other shots show the Hole singer sitting on a swing, her make-up seemingly inspired by the 'heroin-chic' era that became popular in the fashion industry during the mid-Nineties.

She is also seen nude, but for a pair of frilly knickers, posing in a deserted warehouse.

Swings and roundabouts: The singer's career has consisted of a series of controversies including drug abuse, eating disorders and revelations about her apparent sexual encounters with other celebrities

The shots add to the singer's already controversial image, having carved out a niche for outrageous behaviour with her band Hole.

She has battled drug addiction and an eating disorder in the past, also losing custody of her daughter Francis Bean after she was treated for an overdose of prescribed drug oxycodone in 2003.

Miss Love has raised concerns about her mental well-being with frequent rambling blog posts on her MySpace page.

She made headlines recently when it was claimed she said she had a lesbian romp with supermodel Kate Moss - although she later took to her Twitter page to deny making any such statement.

Arty? One of the shots takes place in a deserted building where Courtney is seen nude, apart from a pair of flesh coloured knickers

Her alleged secret lover, hotelier Andre Balazs, is said to have ended their relationship after the allegations that she romped with Kate, 36, in Milan in the 1990s.

A friend is reported to have said: 'Andre was very fond of Courtney, but found some of her behaviour embarrassing.

'And after a series of rows last week - including one over why she felt the need to 'out' Kate - he told her it was over.'

She also revealed that she had an affair with Bush rocker Gavin Rossdale during the early stages of his relationship with Gwen Stefani - to whom he is now married.

The former Bush frontman set the record straight via Facebook, writing: ‘Gwen and Gavin Rossdale would like to assure fans that anything may have occurred prior to their marriage has no impact on their current situation.'