WASHINGTON (ACNI) - The international fine art auction house Christie's has closed down its Washington, D.C. operation. The branch was located at 1228 31st St. in Washington's fashionable Georgetown section.

A Christie's spokesperson told Auction Central News in an e-mailed statement: "Clients located in the Washington, D.C. area remain important to Christie's. Moving forward, our clients in that area will be supported by the closest regional office and by colleagues from our main sales center in New York. Just as before, all clients have direct access to Christie's Client Service Center and the full range of our services."

The reason for the Washington office's closure was not indicated in the statement.

In addition to its 310,000-square-foot gallery in New York, Christie's maintains a West Coast gallery in Los Angeles and additional U.S. regional offices in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Newport (R.I.), Palm Beach (Fla.), Philadelphia and San Francisco. Its international salerooms are located in the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, Hong Kong and Dubai.

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