The Grotto towers above the San Antonio River like a fantasyland fit for hobbits and goblins. The cave is a shaded respite on the San Antonio River Walk with waterfalls, stalactites, and benches.
Although the Grotto looks like a natural limestone ledge, it’s a concrete sculpture by Carlos Cortés. Cortés is a third-generation San Antonio artist specializing in faux bois, or fake wood, concrete art. His father apprenticed in the technique with his great-uncle Dionicio Rodriguez, a master of the French art from Mexico City who did many pieces still in use in Brackenridge Park.
Besides the concrete art at his studio and outdoor gallery at 1101 St. Mary St., Cortés has done many faux bois concrete works around the city. Among the most impressive pieces are a brush arbor on the River Walk near the Tobin Center and the H-E-B Treehouse at the Witte Museum.
Cortés worked with two engineering firms to create the three-story Grotto around a steel armature. Among the many hand-carved decorations he incorporated into the structure are his signature concrete benches that look like they are made from logs and a stairway exiting to Camden Street through the jaws of a jaguar head. A fun part of the art is looking for all the faces incorporated in the cavelike walls.
The Grotto is between Camden and Newell streets in San Antonio not far from the Pearl near the intersection of U.S. Highway 281 and I-35. There is a parking lot on Camden Street under I-35 near the river. The man-made cave is part of the “Art Along the River” project. For a map of other public art along the river, go to www.sariverfound.org.
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This article appears in July 3 • 2020.