 In 1958 , Chatwin moved to London to begin work as a porter in the Works of Art department at Sotheby 's . Chatwin was ill @-@ suited for this job , which included dusting objects that had been kept in storage . Sotheby 's moved him to a junior cataloger position working in both the Antiquities and Impressionist Art departments . This position enabled him to develop his eye for art , and he quickly became known for his ability to discern forgeries . His work as a cataloguer also taught him to describe objects in a concise manner and required that he research these objects . Chatwin advanced to become Sotheby 's expert on Antiquities and Impressionist art and would later run both departments . Many of Chatwin 's colleagues thought he would eventually become chairman of the auction house . 
