LONDON—Britannia rules! Although, these days, it rules the waves of the art world, rather than of the sea. The U.K.’s august capital boasts galleries where the latest currents of contemporary production can be explored, and museums where the great tides of artistic movements can be studied. In addition to the upcoming auctions, London is offering cultural attractions this summer that run the gamut from the genteel — a major retrospective of the Pre-Raphaelite painter John William Waterhouse at the Royal Academy of Arts — to the cutting-edge — the debut of Japanese firm SANAA’s undulating, aluminum-roofed pavilion for the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens. While you’re there, check out one-of-a-kind hotels, rarified shopping options, and innovative, high-profile restaurants representing every corner of the globe.

Go:

Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair
WHAT: Ninety leading art and antique dealers from around the world are participating in the 75th edition of this fair.
WHEN: June 11–17, 2009
WHERE: The Great Room at Grosvenor House; Park Lane; 44-20/7399-8100; grosvenorfair.co.uk
HIGHLIGHTS: Representing diversity in both geographic origin and time period, the artifacts on view include everything from 16th-century oils and Edo-period Japanese screens to Deco jewelry and 1970s furniture. • One of the many dealers specializing in modern British art, Agnew’s is showing paintings and sculpture, including Helmet Head No. 3 (1960) by Henry Moore. • Newcomer Stephen Ongping Fine Arts brought drawings by Schiele, Monet, and Tissot, plus a one-of-a-kind letter from Manet to collector Albert Hecht illustrated with plums and cherries (see photo gallery).

Master Drawings London 2009
WHAT: Works on paper take the spotlight at 20 galleries.
WHEN: July 4–10, 2009
WHERE: Mayfair, St. James, and Bloomsbury
HIGHLIGHTS: Lowell Libson will be showcasing drawings and watercolors by Thomas Gainsborough, William Henry Hunt, and others (3 Clifford Street; 44-20/7734-8686; lowell-libson.com). • Look for “Graffiti Drawings,” a series of erotic sketches by Keith Vaughan, and 20 watercolors by James Henry Nixon at Abbott and Holder (30 Museum Street; 44-20/7637-3981; abbottandholder.co.uk). • “In Between the Lines,” an exhibit of works by contemporary British artists such as Gavin Turk, Tracey Emin and Claude Heath, is on view at Trinity Contemporary (29 Bruton Street; 44-20/7493-4916; trinitycontemporary.com).

Stay:

The Rookery
Tucked away in a tiny lane not far from the Barbican and St. Paul’s Cathedral (and, just across the Millennium Bridge, Tate Modern), this 33-room boutique hotel is unabashedly Old World. Enormous mahogany beds, wood-paneled walls, Regency-style giltwood mirrors, and antique bathroom fixtures add up to a quintessentially English experience. Rebecca Wilson, director of development at the Saatchi Gallery, likes sister location Hazlitt’s, situated in a “beautiful Georgian house” close to Covent Garden and the designer shops on Bond Street.
Peter’s Lane, Cowcross Street
44-20/7336-0931
Rates: $285-$810
rookeryhotel.com

Brown’s Hotel
London-based artist Keith Coventry praises the “sedate charm” of this storied establishment in posh Mayfair. The first hotel to open in London in 1837 — historic VIP guests include Napoleon III, Rudyard Kipling, and Franklin D. Roosevelt — Brown’s is the ne plus ultra in luxury. The sumptuous guest rooms were given contemporary polish in 2003, thanks to a multimillion-dollar renovation by hotelier Rocco Forte.
Albemarle Street
44-20/7493-6020
Rates: $780-$5,260
brownshotel.com

The Zetter
If baronial trappings are not your cup of tea, check out the Zetter in Clerkenwell, a favorite of Matt Carey-Williams, director and head of sales at Haunch of Venison. The streamlined, Scandinavian-style interiors, punctuated by brightly upholstered Louis XIV chairs and quirky large-scale prints, are straight out of the Brit style bible Living Etc.
St. John’s Square, 86-88 Clerkenwell Road
44-20/7324-4444
Rates: $245-$565
thezetter.com

The Hoxton
A self-proclaimed “urban lodge,” the hip yet laidback Hoxton Hotel might be the perfect home base for a day of gallery-hopping in the East End, an area Parasol Unit director Ziba de Weck calls one of the “best-kept secrets to foreigners.” The hotel’s funky décor is supplemented with original works by such artists as Benedicte Radcliffe, Michael Methven, and Ben Allen. This July, don’t miss Hoxton’s famous 1 pound sale, when the hotel will release a limited number of rooms at the astounding rate of 1 pound per night.
81 Great Eastern Street
44-20/7550-1000
Rates: $2-$330
hoxtonhotels.com

Eat & Drink:

El Parador
For first-class Spanish tapas, Saatchi Gallery’s Rebecca Wilson recommends the charmingly rustic El Parador. “I go several times a month, and the food is always outstanding,” she says. Her recommendations include the samphire with chickpeas, grilled baby squid with paprika, and sweet potatoes with feta and pine nuts.
245 Eversholt Street
44-20/7387-2789
elparadorlondon.com

Locanda Locatelli
Sexy, cream-colored leather banquettes and cherrywood dividers adorn the dining room at this Michelin-starred “it” spot that’s popular with the beautiful crowd. Luckily, acclaimed chef Giorgio Locatelli’s seasonal Italian cuisine lives up to the hype. “The food is great, fresh, and the ambience lovely,” Parasol Unit’s de Weck attests.
8 Seymour Place
44-20/7935-9088
locandalocatelli.com

The Wolseley
Julia Peyton-Jones, director of Serpentine Gallery, favors this glamorous “sophisticated brasserie” housed in a former car showroom with majestic vaulted ceilings and black-and-white Art Deco décor. “Not only is it in the center of town,” she says, “but you can use it for breakfast through theater time.”
160 Piccadilly
44-20/7499-6996
thewolseley.com

St. John Restaurant
For superb homegrown cuisine, it’s hard to beat St. John, whose culinary philosophy — “eating from nose to tail” — has developed something of a cult following. Dig into pig’s head, bone marrow, and chitterlings, as well as English specialties like beef and kidney pie, in the company of adventurous foodies and art world types. “It’s quite unusual,” says Hans Ulrich Obrist, the Serpentine’s co-director of exhibitions and programs and director of international projects.
26 St. John Street
44-20/7251-0848
stjohnrestaurant.com

See:

Contemporary art galleries
Here are the summer highlights at just a few of London’s many contemporary-art galleries: • The second of two Keith Coventry retrospectives, featuring new paintings and sculpture, is on view at Haunch of Venison through August 15. Young Romanian painter Adrian Ghenie and Ethiopian artist Elias Sime also enjoy solo shows (6 Burlington Gardens; 44-20/7495-5050; haunchofvenison.com). • On June 17, the Institute of Contemporary Art opens “Poor. Old. Tired. Horse.,” an exploration of text-based art from the 1960s and ’70s by Vito Acconci, Carl Andre, Ian Hamilton Finlay, and others (12 Carleton House Terrace; 44-20/7930-3647; ica.org.uk). • At Lisson Gallery starting June 24, Richard Wentworth will curate a show riffing on gallery founder Nicholas Logsdail’s personal art collection, as well as “historic works” (52-54 Bell Street; 44-20/7724-2739; lissongallery.com). • Works by Fiona Banner, Thomas Hirschhorn, William Kentridge and others that limn the sociopolitical subtext of “parades and processions” are on view at Parasol Unit (14 Wharf Road; 44-20/7490-7373; parasol-unit.org). • André Kertész and men’s fashion stylist Simon Foxton are the subjects of shows opening at the Photographers’ Gallery on July 17. View work by recent photography grads starting June 24 (16-18 Ramillies Street; 44-84/5262-1618; photonet.org.uk). • Thomas Bayrle, Ann Lislegaard, and the artist/activist collective Ultra-Red share billing in only the second show at Alex Sainsbury’s Raven Row (56 Artillery Lane; 44-20/7377-4300; ravenrow.com). • The Saatchi Gallery surveys new painting and sculpture by 32 American artists (Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road; saatchi-gallery.co.uk). • Serpentine Gallery will open a show featuring Jeff Koons’s "Popeye Series" on July 2. Also, be sure to check out this year’s Pavilion, created by Japanese architect duo SANAA (Kensington Gardens; 44-20/7402-6075; serpentinegallery.org). • Raqib Shaw and Tracey Emin are the subjects of shows at White Cube’s two locations (48 Hoxton Square and 25-26 Mason’s Yard; 44-20/7930-5373; whitecube.com). • A number of noteworthy exhibitions will be going on at Whitechapel Gallery, including ones featuring Elizabeth Peyton, Ursula Mayer, and Minerva Cuevas (77-82 Whitechapel High Street; 44-20/7522-7878; whitechapelgallery.org).

Tate Modern
No art jaunt to London would be complete without a trip to Tate Modern. A major exhibit on Futurism and the movements it influenced, featuring key pieces like Boccioni’s Unique Forms of Continuity in Space (1913), runs through September 20. Also on view, June 17 through September 6, is a survey of Danish expressionist Per Kirkeby’s diverse oeuvre.
Bankside
44-20/7887-8888
tate.org.uk/modern

Wellcome Collection
At this singularly marvelous exhibition space devoted to the history of medicine, check out such artifacts as Napoleon’s toothbrush and George III’s hair, which were collected by philanthropist Sir Henry Wellcome. Brett Rogers, director of the Photographers’ Gallery, praises the center’s “wonderful curating, complemented by a great bookshop and first-rate café, which is clearly beloved by the locals.” Of particular interest to art lovers are two current shows exploring the relationship between creativity and mental illness, including “Madness and Modernity: Mental Illness and the Visual Arts in Vienna 1900,” on view through June 28.
183 Euston Road
44-20/7611-2222
wellcomecollection.org

Sir John Soane’s Museum
The Serpentine’s Julia Peyton-Jones calls this “hidden gem” one of London’s “great pleasures.” The former home of famed British architect John Soane, best-known for designing the Bank of England, the museum is crammed to the gills with his vast collection of drawings, models, and antiquities. It’s also an outstanding architectural artifact on its own.
13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields
44-20/7440-4263
soane.org

The Courtauld Gallery
Roam the stately halls of this 18th-century palace and view some of the most famous paintings in the world. On June 18, the gallery opens a new exhibition, “Beyond Bloomsbury: Designs of the Omega Workshops 1913-19,” which will run through September 20. The show unites the Courtauld’s extensive collection of the experimental design collective’s working drawings with exceptional examples of its domestic products, ranging from rugs and printed linens to ceramics, furnishings, and clothes.
The Courtauld Gallery
Somerset House
Strand
London WC2R 0RN
44-20/7848-25226
courtauld.ac.uk

Shop:

Marylebone High Street
Boho stylistas haunt Marylebone High Street for its appealing mix of restaurants, shops, and boutiques — and, on Sundays, a bustling farmers’ market. “The strong emphasis on great design shops is balanced by some fantastic charity shops, where I always manage to find some good purchases,” says Brett Rogers of the Photographers’ Gallery.

Postcard Teas
In a city renowned for its tea culture, the Saatchi’s Wilson maintains that the best tea is to be found here. Run by art dealer Anthony d’Offay’s son Timothy, the tiny shop commands a devoted following for its vast collection of rare varieties, sourced directly from small family growers in China, Japan, India, and elsewhere.
9 Dering Street, New Bond Street
44-20/7629-3654
postcardteas.com

London Review Bookshop
The London Review Bookshop is “one of my favorite bookshops in the world,” says the Serpentine’s Hans Ulrich Obrist, who calls it “the intellectual heart of London.” Stop in and browse through the store’s deep holdings in philosophy, history, and poetry, or catch an author talk. (Check out the store’s Web site for archived talks by such writers as Hanif Kureishi and Doris Lessing.) The upcoming inaugural Weekend of World Literature, June 19–21, will feature panel discussions helmed by leading international authors and translators.
14 Bury Place
44-20/7269-9030
lrbshop.co.uk