Providence Rhode Island.- With its lush landscape, storied history, and magnificent architecture and art collections, Italy has long served as a source of inspiration for artists—enthralling, in the 19th century, such masters as Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, J M W Turner, John Singer Sargent, and James Abbott McNeill Whistler. The RISD Museum of Art’s new exhibition, “Pilgrims of Beauty: Art and Inspiration in 19th-Century Italy”, offers a window into this remarkable period of experimentation and artistic collaboration with more than 60 works all drawn from the Museum’s collection. Pilgrims of Beauty opens February 3rd and runs through July 8th. “Italy’s magic is both familiar and fresh,” says RISD Museum Director John W. Smith. “Every work within this show is a unique and intimate journey into this timeless world. As we explore Rome’s grand ruins and the sparkling Venetian canals through these artists’ eyes, we discover how each developed a distinctive, often highly personal, visual experience of this one special place.”