Leonardo da Vinci's iconic Mona Lisa painting is, in a small way, tied to Wichita.
A subsidiary of Wichita-based Koch Industries, Guardian Industries, was commissioned six years ago to place glare-resistant glass in front of da Vinci's Renaissance masterpiece. In 2019, the glass covered the painting and frame —- protecting them from light, but allowing visitors to view without glare.
The glass was tested Jan. 28, when two environmental activists threw orange-colored soup at the oil painting. The glass was cleaned, and Mona Lisa kept smiling.
"We're honored (and) our employees are honored about (the glass protecting Mona Lisa)," said Ron Vaupel, CEO and president of Guardian Industries in Auburn Hills, Michigan. "It's all about how do you help society; how do you help other people?"
In 2022, the glass served as armor to a cake and frosting that were thrown its way.
The glass removes 92% to 95% of the reflection and allows patrons to look directly at the artwork, Vaupel said.
Vaupel, who grew up in Salina, headed to Wichita after graduating from Kansas State University. After he worked for Koch Industries for decades, he moved to Michigan to lead Guardian Industries.
He said engineers and manufacturers are excited to be a part of the project.
"When we were chosen for the glass to be put on (the painting), back in 2019, it was exciting for us as a company," Vaupel said. "We were truly honored. Everybody was walking around pretty proud with these little pictures of Mona Lisa. (We were able) to say we made a difference."
In addition to the Louvre Museum in Paris, the speciality Guardian Clarity glass is found in museums and stores worldwide, including the lion exhibit at the London Zoo, The Natural Museum of Natural History in Luxembourg and on Chanel, Christian Dior and Valentino storefronts throughout the world.
"This is very microscopic, very atomic-level type coatings that we put on the glass, " Vaupel said.
By the coating becoming 200 nanometers thick, he said, it serves to maximize light transmission with no reflection. The thickness of hair is 100,000 nanometers,
Innovation is key for Guardian Industries
In addition to non-glare glass and bulletproof military-grade glass, the company manufactures window glass for skyscrapers, commercial buildings and residential homes. Because of the issue with birds not noticing the glass, Guardian went to work developing a way for winged creatures to not fly into the building's windows.
The company designed a special glass that has an ultraviolet light on it so birds can see it and avoid it. Vaupel said studies show about 300 million birds die each year by flying into glass.
"Our scientists went to work to discover a solution," he said. "We recently launched what is called a bird-friendly glass."
The product, known as bird first, reflects the ultraviolet part of the light. Birds, unlike humans, can see the rays.
"Now, as the bird approaches our glass, they'll see that ultraviolet reflection, and they'll veer off," he said. "There are many regulations coming in place now where they say you need to provide this glass for the environment and for the birds."
As for examples of this type of glass, Wichitans don't have to travel far. In 2021, Guardian donated ultraviolet glass to the entryway at the Sedgwick County Zoo.
"We think it's a great opportunity to have our product there, and it fits with what we're trying to do to help society overall," Vaupel said. "It aligns with our conservation focus and our principles of stewardship for local communities."
Other examples of the new glass include the Salesforce Tower — the tallest building in San Francisco — the Empire State Building, the expansion of terminal 6 at Chicago O'Hare International Airport and the new Houston airport.
In addition to using recycled glass, the company continues to innovate, including specialty solar panel glass and specialty glass for car sun roofs.
"We're developing a coating that will block more of the infrared light," said John Buckner, global vice president of operations for Guardian Industries. "(It) greatly reduces the air conditioner load on autos."
By developing coatings for the roof in the marketplace, Buckner said, Guardian is working to keep the heat out.
Guardian has manufacturing plants around the world, including several in the U.S. Along with headquarters in Michigan, the company has plants in California, Iowa, New York, South Carolina and Texas.
