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Under the terms of the agreement, signed in April, Saatchi will advise the Art Trading Fund on contemporary art purchases from Western artists as well as from newer markets in China, India, and the Middle East. In exchange, the fund will pay the Saatchi Gallery a percentage of profits it earns on works acquired through the gallery.

Such funds buy and sell works using money contributed by investors who buy in at a set fee and then receive a share of profits. Last year the Art Trading Fund had a total of 12 investors, made up of a mix of private banks, asset managers, and wealthy individuals, and saw returns of $10 million, significantly short of an announced $50 million goal.