diff --git a/beets/util/artresizer.py b/beets/util/artresizer.py
index 983a9dd15..d891a695c 100644
--- a/beets/util/artresizer.py
+++ b/beets/util/artresizer.py
@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@ def has_PIL():
     """Return Image Magick version or None if it is unavailable
     Try importing PIL."""
     try:
-        __import__('PIL', fromlist=['Image'])
+        __import__('PIL', fromlist=[str('Image')])
         return (0,)
     except ImportError:
         return None