Vasily Alexeyevich Kafanov (Russian: Василий Алексеевич Кафанов; born 16 July 1952) is a Russian-born painter and illustrator.

[8] Later on, his drawing began to feature a large fish, which popped up in a variety of very strange settings, carrying small chapels and towers on its back.

Among the guests was the film director and painter Franco Zeffirelli who praised his painting style and played a key role in influencing Kafanov.

[11] Throughout his career, Kafanov has also been inspired by the paintings of prominent artists, such as Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Mikhail Shemyakin and Giorgio Morandi.

[4] In the late 1990s, he met Billy Corgan, the lead singer of the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins and later was offered to create the cover of their 2000 release Machina, which he believes is one of his best works in his entire career.