Richard Klein was a German artist, known mainly for his work as a favoured artist of the Nazi regime. Klein was director of the Munich School of Applied Arts and was one of Hitler's favourite painters.

Klein was one of the artists exhibited at the "Great German Art Exhibition" held at the Haus der Kunst

Haus der Kunst

The Haus der Kunst is an art museum in Munich, Germany. It is located at Prinzregentenstrasse 1 at the southern edge of the Englischer Garten, Munich's largest park.-History:...

 in Munich

Munich

Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

 in 1937, meant as a contrast to the modern art condemned by the Nazis as Entartete Kunst. Klein's work at the exhibition included plaques contributed from Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...

's private collection. The poster for the exhibition, "The Awakening", was designed by Klein and also used as the front cover for the Nazi art review Art in the Third Reich.

Klein was also the designer of Nazi decorations including the Sudetenland Medal

Sudetenland Medal

The The Sudetenland Commemorative Medal was a decoration of Nazi Germany awarded in the interwar period.-Description:...

, Anschluss Medal

Anschluss Medal

The Anschluss Commemorative Medal was a decoration of Nazi Germany awarded in the interwar period.-Description:Instituted on May 1, 1938, the medal commemorated the return of Austria to the German Reich...

 and Memel Medal

Memel Medal

The Return of Memel Commemorative Medal was a decoration of Nazi Germany awarded in the interwar period, and the last of the series of Occupation Medals.-Description:...

, collectively known as the German Occupation Medals

German Occupation Medals

The German Occupation Medals were a series of awards, also known as the "Flower War medals", created to commemorate the annexation of Austria, Czechoslovakia and the Memelland by Nazi Germany in the interwar period...

, plus the most-awarded of all of the Third Reich medals: the War Merit Medal

War Merit Medal

The War Merit Medal was instituted on 19 August 1940 to recognize outstanding service by civilians in connection with the war effort. The medal was restricted to civilians - both German and non-German - and was awarded predominantly to those working in war factories.The medal, designed by...

.