Ava de Lagercrantz

Hedvig Gustava Lagercrantz (1862–1938), generally known as Ava de Lagercrantz, was a prominent Swedish portrait painter who was active in New York, Stockholm and Paris. A cousin of Sweden's envoy to Washington, , she prospered in New York from portrait commissions. She is also remembered for being called to paint the portraits of the Swedish kings Oscar II and Gustaf V. Several of her works are in the collection of the National Museum of Sweden.

Early life and education Born in Karlskrona on 7 September 1862, Hedvig Gustava Lagercrantz was the daughter of vice-admiral Jacob Reinhold Lagercrantz (1821–1898) and his wife Hedvig Ottilia née Lindström (1833–1907). She was raised in a family of five children. While in New York, in 1909 she was called back to Sweden to paint the portrait of his son, Gustav V. On her return in May 1909, details were reported in the New York Times.

On returning to Sweden in 1923, Lagercrantz settled in Stockholm where she held an exhibition at Konstnärshuset in 1935. She spent her final years in Paris where she died on 6 May 1938.