A new exhibition at the Iziko South African National Gallery explores the lives and times of four remarkable men – South African Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, Albert Luthuli, Desmond Tutu, FW de Klerk and Nelson Mandela. Constructed around a timeline of 100 years of South African history and utilising visual art as a surrounding matrix, the exhibition taps into the immense hope that erupted when these four extraordinary leaders gained global recognition and respect – as well as the multifaceted emotions that followed.

Titled Strengths and Convictions: The Life and Times of The South African Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, Albert Luthuli, Desmond Tutu, FW de Klerk and Nelson Mandela, the exhibition was curated by cultural practitioner Gavin Jantjes, who has managed to brilliantly rearticulate the astounding transitions of each laureate. Three singular but interconnected elements – a photographic exploration of the four men’s lives, seven short films that contextualise their endeavours and a large collection of significant contemporary artworks – are interestingly interweaved within the exhibition.

The seven short films and 50 photographs accompany a timeline of 100 years of South African history, exploring how the lives of these four men converge and disperse as South Africa’s tumultuous history unravels. Yet the presentation is fundamentally underpinned by the distinctive and revolutionary course of action each man decided on in order to find a political resolution for their devastated country.

A compelling element of Strengths and Convictions is the interconnected ideas and emotions captured through the work of visual artists including George Hallett, William Kentridge, Willie Bester, David Goldblatt, Dumile Feni, Muafangejo, Marlene Dumas, Noria Mabasa and Peter Clarke. Through each powerful work, the exhibition evokes the changing South African zeitgeist, ultimately honouring the acumen and civility of the four laureates who ensured a peaceful transition to democracy.

Accompanying the exhibition is a fully illustrated publication with essays by author Antjie Krog, recently retired Justice Albie Sachs, Curator Gavin Jantjes and – as an initiative of the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo, Norway and in collaboration with Iziko Museums of Cape Town – Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

Strengths and Convictions gives South Africans the opportunity to revisit past conquests through this multifaceted visual exploration of four exceptional men – and offers visitors of all nationalities the occasion to celebrate their pioneering actions. It runs at the Iziko South African National Gallery in Cape Town from 26 November 2009 to 28 February 2010.