To the Antiques Roadshow treasure twins, Leigh and Leslie Keno, old age is nothing to brag about. What moves them to go back in time is good design. And increasingly, the Americana experts are reaching back a mere 50 years to collect such mid-century classics as the set of four white wire side chairs made by sculptor Harry Bertoia that they recently bagged for two Benjamins.

“Bertoia was clearly thinking outside the box when he developed these incredibly airy, nearly transparent chairs that almost appear to float,” enthuses Leslie Keno. Not that he or any other antiques addict would turn down a chance encounter with a Goddard kneehole desk, but the likelihood of bumping into a mahogany masterpiece at your local garage sale is next to nil. Not so for Bertoia (1915–1978), whose modern mesh regularly appears at flea markets.

Photographs by Bryan McCay
Text by Doris Athineos
Produced by Leigh Keno and Leslie Keno