In 1966 Julio Arrieta Zubiri died in Pamplona, an artist now forgotten, but who contributed significantly to the renewal of design in the Navarrese capital in the first third of the twentieth century. We thank his family, especially his grandson Miguel Javier Viguria and especially his great-granddaughter Natitxu Viguria, for their generous availability for the study of his bequest.

Julio (Pedro) Arrieta Zubiri was born in Pamplona on September 30, 1883. His parents were Margarita Zubiri Iturralde (Pamplona, 1843) and Pedro Arrieta Argonz (Cáseda, 1842). His father was an important master builder in Pamplona who renovated numerous buildings in the city and built several buildings of the first urban expansion. He studied at the School of Arts and Crafts in Pamplona between 1897 and 1901 where he seems to have been an outstanding student . He coincided as a student with Javier Ciga and was taught by the architect Florencio Ansoleaga, among others.

He began his first designs painting curtains and decorating the stages of the Carlist circles and the Pamplona choral society. He soon made his way into the illumination of scrolls and the design of book covers. From this period we can highlight the commission he was given in 1916 by the Pamplona City Council to decorate the cover of the report Reglamento del Vínculo to send to King Alfonso XIII; the parchment made in 1917 by order of the military garrison of Pamplona to thank the solidarity shown by the city council of Pitillas with the army, or the cover of the guide de Pamplona published by Roldan y Goñi for the San Fermín festivities of 1918. 

Julio Arrieta also practiced drawing. In this field, it is worth mentioning his participation in the special supplement published by Diario de Navarra on July 18, 1920 on the occasion of the II congress programs of study Vascos held in Pamplona in which he showed a shepherd Roncales. Finally, we will also highlight his work as a painter. Although we have not found many works related to this activity during these first decades of his artistic life, we must point out the work carried out in 1921 for the General board of the Roncal Valley consisting of seven paintings with the reproduction of the coat of arms of the Valley, one for each of the town councils that make up the valley. These first designs follow the predominant style of the time, the historicist eclecticism, although they are soon influenced by modernism. 

Little by little, Julio Arrieta's fame grew. In 1922, on the occasion of the third centenary of the canonization of St. Francis Xavier, he participated in the design of several works created for the event. Thus Arrieta was commissioned to design the flag of the Catholic-Social Federation of Navarre and directed the decoration of the basilica of Javier on the occasion of the pilgrimage to Javier of King Alfonso XIII. Furthermore, as Professor Ricardo Fernández Gracia has already pointed out, Julio Arrieta was the designer of the commemorative medals of the centenary and of the pilgrims' medals, as well as of the covers of the official program and of the libretto with the score of the official hymn of the III centenary. In the same year of 1922, the Pamplona City Council commissioned Julio Arrieta the design of the new pastry stands for the façade of the Town Hall, which were premiered during the San Fermín festivities of that year.

In 1924, together with the painter Javier Ciga and the sculptor Fermín Istúriz, he was part of the jury appointed by the Pamplona City Council to choose the poster announcing the San Fermín festivities. That same year, 1924, Julio Arrieta set up a cabinetmaking workshop in the ground floor of the newly constructed building of the Café Iruña society at 9 Carlos III issue . This workshop was active until at least 1933.

Born in Germany in 1919, the Bauhaus school was a direct descendant of fundamental developments of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In England, the Arts & Crafts movement had already challenged industrial production, advocating craftsmanship and analyzing the influence of the Industrial Revolution on design. At the same time, the European avant-garde was renewing traditional bourgeois aesthetics, paving the way for the innovative approach of the Bauhaus.

This movement revolutionized the decorative arts and laid down the instructions of modern design , combining craftsmanship and industrial production to create economical and quality objects with a creative process. This Philosophy not only transformed the decorative arts, but also redefined previously unrecognized professions, such as interior designer or interior designer.

In the mid 20's of the 20th century, Julio Arrieta had enough knowledge and official document to try his hand at this new profession. His years of experience in scenography, illustration or decoration, had provided him with an important base to start in this adventure. In addition, his cabinetmaking workshop and an important network of personal and commercial contacts allowed him to practice this new discipline without problems. We know of his collaborations with Victor Eusa or outstanding companies such as the Maumejean glassworks of Madrid, Los Pontones tapestries and pastry shops, Gil Bergasa furniture or the Swiss signature Eubeolith. The documents that remain from his library, kept by his family, confirm that, beyond his artistic experience and contacts, Julio Arrieta had a solid training that enabled him to work as an interior designer. His collection included an interesting and select collection of magazines and portfolios specialized in the decoration of the time. These publications, full of sketches and photographs, not only reflect Julio Arrieta's keen ability to identify and appreciate the most innovative trends of the time, but also served as sources of inspiration for his work.

Julio Arrieta's work as an interior designer can be found in several works of complete decoration that he carried out in premises in Pamplona. Unfortunately, nowadays, there is hardly anything left of these works. A paradigmatic case is the decoration of the new Navascues pharmacy on Estafeta Street in 1925. The local press described Arrieta's designs in the new pharmacy as follows: 

"The artist has managed to harmonize in an unsurpassable way the seriousness of this class of establishments with the elegance and grace of the lines, without having a certain style in mind, but giving satisfaction to modern taste. It is very pleasing to witness this progress in the decorative arts and the noble official document of cabinetmaking in our city".

Another important design of Julio Arrieta's business was the installation, in 1932, of the municipal box and Departments of the new Gayarre theater. The photographs and drawings preserved in the municipal file of Pamplona show us a room decorated following the purest essence of the art deco style. Another integral decoration carried out by Julio Arrieta in 1934, was the Iruña cafeteria (today Rincón de Hemingway), adjacent to the Café Iruña, of which we know that he collaborated with Gerardo Lizarraga. He also participated in 1927 with Víctor Eusa in the decoration of Pamplona's Three Kings parade.

Between 1927 and 1931 the local press was filled with advertisements of an establishment called Stylion-Arrieta y C.ª, with exhibition at Paseo Sarasate nº 36 and workshops at Carlos III nº 9, in which they emphasized the "elegance and very careful construction" of their furniture. These data suggest that around 1927 Julio Arrieta became a partner or bought Casa Stylion. This establishment, founded in 1924 by the architect José Alzugaray and Arturo Picatoste, had soon gained great popularity, dedicated to the sale of decorative art objects. This exclusive and novel locale in Pamplona was the scene of the first art exhibitions in Pamplona, where prestigious artists such as the Navarrese painters Julio Briñol (1925) and José Basiano (1926 and 1927), the Aragonese León Astruc (1931) or the Navarrese enameller Félix Artieda (1932) passed through its halls. We have located an interesting drawing signed by Arrieta that was used as a full-page color advertisement for the Stylion House. The advertisement is a testimony to Arrieta's talent as an advertising draughtsman and to the importance of the Stylion House in the commercial panorama of Pamplona as a symbol of modernity and good taste. The drawing follows the Art Deco style characteristic of the time.

As Fernando Tabuenca relates, in 1929 the business Arrieta y Cia SL commissioned Víctor Eusa to construct a building at the intersection of García Castañón and Fernández Arenas streets No. 4. We do not know the cause, but the original destination of the building changed, probably related to the arrival of the second republic. At the end of the construction, at the end of 1932, the first floor of the building was rented by the Pamplona mutual accident insurance company. Only a large sculpture of Athena, the goddess of the arts, which crowns the main corner of the building, reminds us of its original purpose. 

During the 1930s, Julio Arrieta held the position of representative for the renowned Maumejean stained glass house. In 1933, in his capacity as representative of this prestigious business, he presented five stained glass windows at the Decorative Arts exhibition organized by the Ateneo Navarro. According to family testimony, in addition to the representation, Julio Arrieta also designed stained glass windows for the business. The family retains a large number of sketches of stained glass of the signature Maumejean, among them has caught our attention one formed by three panels in black and white which represents a well-known scene of the running of the bulls in Pamplona in Mercaderes Street, which may well have been designed by Arrieta.

After 1935 we have no news of Arrieta in Pamplona. It seems that when the civil war came and for economic reasons Julio had to emigrate to Madrid, leaving his wife and daughter in Pamplona. From the family we know that Julio Arrieta worked in the prestigious furniture and artistic bronzes house Herraiz y Cia, one of the best furniture companies in the country at that time. Towards the 50's Julio Arrieta returned to Pamplona. In this final stage of his life the artist created an extensive pictorial work that remains in the hands of his family. 

Julio Arrieta died on January 3, 1966 at the age of 82, leaving behind a daughter and five grandchildren. The press bade him farewell saying "Yesterday he rested in the peace of the Lord in our city Mr. Julio Arrieta Zubiri, very well known and esteemed and whose death has been deeply felt by the extensive friendships he knew how to conquer with his characteristic kindness. He was a prestigious industrialist of very accredited signature ".