His greatest memory is a secret meeting, arranged by the Norwegian embassy, with Luthuli in early 1963 -- four years before the ANC leader's untimely death -- he was hit by a train and killed in 1967.
"I entered the shack very nervously, and there in this dim light sitting on the sofa I saw this huge man, there was such an aura about this man. I was so overcome with emotion that I just stood there ... he put his hands around me and I sobbed like a little new-born baby," Harrison said.
The painting will stay on display at the National Gallery pending a move to a planned Luthuli Museum in his home province, KwaZulu-Natal. Luthuli's daughter Alberta, a member of parliament, said the Black Christ carried a special message for many South Africans.
"The story of this painting is not dissimilar to a person that was harassed, went into exile and finally returned," she said. "To some it might seem like blasphemy ... but we must not deflect from the message the artist wanted to deliver."
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