Alexander Ball, also known as Alex Ball, A. Ball, A & R Ball, and Ball Galleries, was a Berlin art dealer who became a refugee and, unfortunately, worked closely with notorious Nazi art looter Karl Haberstock, helping him to locate Jewish collections for spoliation.
A Ball's activities are documented by the Art Looting Investigation Unit in several reports, including the Final Report
Red Flag List of Names and the Detailed Interrogation Report
(DIR) Number 13 of Karl Haberstock.
It is noteworthy how poorly Alexander Ball is documented and referenced today in art history dictionaries, encyclopedias, and art reference databases.
Art that passed through his hands landed in major museums. Any provenance or ownership history that contains his name in any of its forms deserves a closer look, with special scrutiny for items listed on the Nazi Era Internet Portal and items with gaps or other red flags in their provenance.
Below are a few mentions of Alexander Ball in historical sources as well as a few references for him.
Ball, Alexander. Paris, 9 rue Royale Aix en Provence New York (?). German Jewish refugee dealer. Intermediary for
Haberstock in the sale of pictures from the unoccupied zone. Also believed to have informed on the whereabouts of prominent Jews, notably
Guy de Rothschild. Believed to be in the United States.
de Beauperthuys, Simone le. Paris, 6 ave de la Grande Armee. Secretary of
Alexander Ball and intermediary for
Ball with
Haberstock, to whom she offered pictures of doubtful origin. Also represented
Fischer, for whom she signed a receipt to
Bornheim in Paris, July 4 1941.