Leigh and Leslie Keno
Encyclopedia
Herkimer County, New York
Herkimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. As of the 2010 census, the population was 64,519. It is named after General Nicholas Herkimer, who died from battle wounds in 1777 after taking part...
) are American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
antiques
Antiques
An antique is an old collectible item. It is collected or desirable because of its age , beauty, rarity, condition, utility, personal emotional connection, and/or other unique features...
experts, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
s, and television hosts.
The Kenos specialize in stoneware, early American furniture and vintage automobiles. They are widely known as appraisers on the PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
series Antiques Roadshow
Antiques Roadshow
Antiques Roadshow is a British television show in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom to appraise antiques brought in by local people. It has been running since 1979...
, for favoring preservation of antiques over restoration, and for their engaging, high-energy personalities.
Background
As the identical twin sons of Norma and Ronald Keno, who were both themselves antiques dealers, the Kenos grew up in Mohawk, N.Y. Leigh was born 13 minutes before his brother. Their father collected and restored vintage sports cars, and both their parents specialized in folk art and country furniture. Their mother would take them out of school on Fridays to regional flea markets and antiques shows. The brothers took interest, were earning "$200 or $300 a weekend by the time they were in the fourth grade," and by age twelve had entered in their joint diary "We are Antique Dealers." While also enjoying more typical boyhood pursuits (football, fly-fishing, playing in a rock band) the twins took a special interest in stoneware. At age fourteen they set the world record for American stoneware, paying $3,500 for an American salt-glazed stoneware jug.Leigh attended Hamilton College, and Leslie attended Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
, graduating cum laude in 1979.
Leslie Keno, at the time a senior vice president and the director of American furniture and decorative arts at Sotheby's, married Emily Becnel, an administrator in the English furniture department at Sotheby's in New York in 1995. Leigh, who had been an appraiser at Christie's
Christie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
, operated an antiques store in New York. He owns a 1938 SS 100 Jaguar 3.5-liter, purchased from his father, which he has driven on the track at Lime Rock Park
Lime Rock Park
Lime Rock Park is a natural-terrain motorsport road racing venue located in Lime Rock, Connecticut, United States, a hamlet in the village of Lakeville, Connecticut, in the state’s northwest corner...
which he and his brother drove on Louis Vuitton Classic China Run,a thousand mile drive from Dalian to Beijing. Leigh serves as judge at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is an automotive charitable event held each year on the Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California, considered the most prestigious event of its kind. It is the finale of a week long festival of classic cars events in the Monterey area every year...
. He
also has two children, Ashley and Brandon.
The twin's older brother, Mitchell Keno, is an antiques appraiser.
Careers
The brothers have appeared as furniture appraiserAppraiser
An appraiser , is one who sets a value upon property, real or personal. In England the business of an appraiser is usually combined with that of an auctioneer, while the word itself has a similar meaning to that of "valuer." In the United States, the most common usage relates to real estate...
s on the PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
series Antiques Roadshow
Antiques Roadshow
Antiques Roadshow is a British television show in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom to appraise antiques brought in by local people. It has been running since 1979...
since 1997, have hosted the WGBH
WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service , and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time television programming...
series Find! together starting in 2003, and have been hosts of the internet show Collect This! with the Keno Brothers on MSN's Tech & Gadgets guide site since 2008.
In 2000, the twins co-authored a book on antique furniture with Joan Barzilay Freund, Hidden Treasures: Searching for Masterpieces of American Furniture. Leigh opened his own antique dealership in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1986 and Leslie heads the American furniture and decorative arts division at Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
. Both were awarded the National Humanities Medal
National Humanities Medal
The National Humanities Medal honors individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the humanities, broadened citizens’ engagement with the humanities, or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to important resources in the humanities.The award, given by the...
in 2005.
In 2008, the brothers joined then-First Lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
Laura Bush
Laura Bush
Laura Lane Welch Bush is the wife of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush. She was the First Lady of the United States from January 20, 2001, to January 20, 2009. She has held a love of books and reading since childhood and her life and education have reflected that interest...
on a History Channel televised tour of the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
.
In 2009 Leigh launched Keno Auctions
Keno Auctions
Keno Auctions, founded in 2009 by celebrity antiques dealer Leigh Keno, is a full service auction house in New York City....
http://www.kenoauctions.com a full service auction house.
In 2010 they created a furniture line called Keno Bros. that is manufactured by Theodore Alexander.
In 2011, the brothers are co-hosting a reality show, Buried Treasure
Buried Treasure (TV series)
Buried Treasure is an American television Appraisal series that debuted on the Fox network on August 24, 2011. The show is hosted by two professional appraisers, Leigh and Leslie Keno of Antiques Roadshow notability, who travel to people's houses in search of valuable items to appraise and sell for...
, on the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
network.