Pilkington OptiView™ OW, which already protects numerous priceless exhibits in global museums and galleries, now also enhances one of the world’s most exceptional and unique works of art.
THE JOB
Client: Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana – Milan, Italy
Exhibition design Room IV and Room V of the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana: Stefano Boeri (Founding Partner), Marco Giorgio (Project Director), Francesca Motta (Project Leader), Esteban Marquez, Daniele Barillari, Elisa Versari – Milan, Italy
Executive Design and Production of the Case: Goppion SpA – Trezzano sul Naviglio (MI), Italy
Glass processor: Novavetro – San Severino Marche (MC), Italy
Transport and installation of special glass: Pinotti & Valentino Snc – Brugherio (MI), Italy
PROTECTING A MASTERPIECE
Raffaello Sanzio’s masterpiece ‘The School of Athens’, features Plato and Aristotle and represents the study of philosophy. It was created in 1509 and over the years has passed through the hands of numerous notables including Napoleon Boneparte.
It now rests back in Milan’s Biblioteca Ambrosiana and, following four years of restoration, is open to public viewing. This fragile work of art, which was created using charcoal on laid sheets, now benefits from the all-round protective properties of Pilkington OptiView™ OW.
GLASS – THE OBVIOUS CHOICE
The glass was the obvious choice – when compared to traditional offerings. The artwork is displayed behind a vitrine featuring a single eight-metre long sheet of this special protective glass – the world’s largest ever to be produced and installed in-situ. Laminated Pilkington OptiView™ OW, with its thin layer of metal oxides and anti-reflective properties, reduces light reflection to a minimum (2 per cent), protects against vandalism and offers the perfect all-round, true-colour, viewing experience.
For those who want to deepen their knowledge, there is an informational display table set up in front of the Cartoon, which is designed to help viewers appreciate and share in this pivotal piece of artwork from the Italian Renaissance.
NSG GROUP
The NSG Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of glass and glazing systems in three major business areas: Automotive, Architectural and Technical Glass. Automotive serves the original equipment, aftermarket replacement, and specialized transport glazing markets. Architectural supplies glass for architectural applications, solar energy and digital signage and displays. Technical Glass products include very thin glass for displays, lenses and light guides for printers, and glass fiber, used in battery separators and engine timing belts. NSG have major market shares in most building and automotive product markets of the world, with a broad geographic reach, enabling us to respond to customers whose operations, particularly in the case of Automotive OE, are increasingly global.
Today, NSG Group has manufacturing operations in around 30 countries on four continents and sales in over 100 countries. In the fiscal year ending 31 March 2019, the Group reported revenue of JPY 612.8 billion (approximately EUR 4.75 billion). Of this, 40 per cent was generated in Europe, 33 per cent in Asia including Japan and 27 per cent in Americas.
Pilkington Italia SpA / NSG Group
www.pilkington.com
