The art world mourns the passing of Freda Hayes, a sculptor of profound talent and vision, whose public works breathed narrative life into the forgotten corners of London. Hayes, who has died aged 94, leaves behind a legacy etched not just in bronze and stone, but in the very fabric of the city's shared memory.
Hayes possessed a unique gift for finding the extraordinary in the mundane. She was a master of capturing fleeting, intimate moments – a child's concentrated gaze, the weary slump of a commuter, the shared laughter between market traders – and immortalising them in powerful, large-scale public installations. Her work was a quiet rebellion against the impersonal, often imposing nature of traditional civic sculpture.
The Soul of the City in Bronze and Stone
Her most celebrated pieces are not found in grand squares, but nestled within the bustling, everyday heart of the capital. From the 'Window-Shoppers' on a Sideline street to the 'Market Criers' series in Camden, Hayes’s art celebrated the unsung heroes of urban life. She had an anthropologist's eye for detail and a novelist's sense of story, weaving the history and spirit of a place into her creations.
Unlike many of her contemporaries, Hayes was deeply involved in the communities for which she created. She would spend months observing, sketching, and talking to locals, ensuring her work was not merely placed in a location, but grew from it organically. This collaborative, empathetic approach resulted in art that felt genuinely owned and cherished by the people who encountered it daily.
A Legacy of Empathy and Observation
Born in 1930, Hayes’s path was not easy. As a woman in the male-dominated post-war art scene, she faced significant prejudice and was often overlooked for major commissions. She persevered, however, initially supporting her practice through teaching. This resilience defined her career, allowing her to develop a uniquely humanist style outside the pressures of the commercial art market.
Freda Hayes’s work stands as a permanent, gentle reminder to notice the beauty and drama in our everyday surroundings. Her sculptures continue to offer moments of connection and reflection for Londoners and visitors alike. She is survived by her two children and four grandchildren, and by a city infinitely richer for her having seen it, and sculpted it, with such compassionate clarity.
