Jean-Claude Götting
A Quiet Beginning
In 1998, French publisher Gallimard Jeunesse released Harry Potter à l’école des sorciers with a now-iconic cover. Illustrated by Jean-Claude Götting, the artwork introduced French readers to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Hogwarts for the very first time. At the time, Götting had no idea what the book would become. “I didn’t even know it was supposed to be a series!” he admitted. “I took the first one as if it were a single title.”
The cover—painted in acrylic on A4 paper—showed Harry with a dreamy expression, flanked by his friends and holding Hedwig in her cage. The castle loomed behind. Götting, then 35 and already well known in the world of comics and illustration, had been illustrating covers for Gallimard for years. He was simply offered the manuscript and asked if he wanted to draw the cover. “I read it and was immediately hooked.”
One Volume at a Time
For the first three books, Götting worked freely, often illustrating before the French translation was even complete. It wasn’t until Prisoner of Azkaban that J.K. Rowling made a request—for the hippogriff to appear on the cover. After that, things began to change.
By the time Goblet of Fire arrived in 2000, Götting had to read the English version to create his art. “Reading 800 pages in English… that’s something else!” he said. From then on, covers were presented as proposals and passed through more layers of approval, including Rowling’s English agent.
A Changing Style
Originally, the covers leaned into a childlike, introspective tone. But as the books’ popularity surged—especially with adults—Götting’s style evolved. “We wondered if we had to adapt to this dual readership,” he said. As a result, large-format editions with more mature covers were introduced. Still, Götting’s Harry remained enigmatic, reflective, and far from the action-packed imagery of the films.
Even so, film influences began to subtly shape his art. “Take, for example, the clothing,” he noted. “The tie imposed itself in my illustration, as in the cinema.” And as the series progressed, tight deadlines became the norm. For Half-Blood Prince, Götting had to begin work with almost no information—only that Dumbledore would be important. “When we got the book, they said, ‘Dumbledore has a burnt hand, we need to fix it!’ So I changed it at the last minute.”
Final Reflections
For The Deathly Hallows, Götting proposed two covers. One depicted Harry diving into a frozen pond, but the publisher balked at showing Harry in his underwear. Instead, they chose a quieter image: Harry alone on a cliff, looking out over a stormy sea. “It’s the one I had the most fun with,” Götting said. “Of all the covers around the world, this is the only one that is a bit calm.”
Despite the global success of the series and millions of copies sold in France, Götting remains modest about the role the Potter covers played in his career. “It’s not my feat of arms,” he insists. “It only represents about ten drawings in all.” In fact, he believes that being so associated with the series may have limited other opportunities for a time: “People were afraid it would remind people of Harry Potter.”
25 Years Later
In 2023, Gallimard Jeunesse asked Götting to return for the 25th anniversary collector’s box set. He created an all-new illustration featuring many characters never before shown in his work, including Lupin, Tonks, the Malfoys, Voldemort, and even Dobby. However, he needed help remembering the details: “I had forgotten all the characters… I needed a list!”
The collector’s set, limited to 25,000 numbered copies, brought back the original covers (or their large-format redraws) and even included an exclusive postcard set. Götting’s cover was also auctioned in Brussels, with an estimate between €10,000 and €15,000.
A Legacy in Ink
Götting’s Harry Potter covers are quiet, subtle, and contemplative—standing apart from the explosive visuals of the films or other editions. They reflect not just a story, but a mood: the mystery, the emotion, and the growth that define Rowling’s saga.
“It remains, in fact, for me an exceptional adventure,” he said. And for countless French readers, his Harry remains the first they ever saw—the boy with a pointed hat and a thoughtful gaze, standing on the threshold of something magical.
Legacy and Final Brushstrokes
The release of the anniversary editions was accompanied by a national exhibition titled “The Fairytale World of Lyuben Zidarov,” held in the Crystal Garden of downtown Sofia and at the National Gallery. There, visitors could view ten large-format illustrations from the Harry Potter series, a final celebration of the artist’s contribution to Bulgarian literature.
Lyuben Zidarov passed away on January 4, 2023, at the age of 99. He left behind a legacy not just of books, but of reimagined childhoods and inspired imaginations. While his Potter covers sparked fierce debate, they also reignited a discussion about the role of illustration in literature, about national identity in global franchises, and about the courage of artistic vision.
His Harry may not be your Harry. But he is indelibly Zidarov’s—and through him, Bulgaria’s.
Between Imagination and Memory
Art, especially in children’s literature, does not need to be pretty—it needs to be alive. Lyuben Zidarov believed children should not be coddled with neat perfection, but challenged with mystery, complexity, and wonder. His covers are less about pleasing and more about provoking—like all true art should be.
Whether you see them as bold or bizarre, Zidarov’s Harry Potter illustrations are unforgettable. And in the ever-expanding universe of interpretations, that is perhaps the greatest magic of all.