diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index 1d5cb7216335..35e0aa0cf123 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -124,7 +124,6 @@ FILE(GLOB SOURCE_FILES
   "dtgtk/drawingarea.c"
   "dtgtk/expander.c"
   "dtgtk/gradientslider.c"
-  "dtgtk/icon.c"
   "dtgtk/paint.c"
   "dtgtk/range.c"
   "dtgtk/resetlabel.c"
diff --git a/src/develop/imageop.c b/src/develop/imageop.c
index c2302f584acc..8eefc4f6f6ba 100644
--- a/src/develop/imageop.c
+++ b/src/develop/imageop.c
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@
 #include "dtgtk/button.h"
 #include "dtgtk/expander.h"
 #include "dtgtk/gradientslider.h"
-#include "dtgtk/icon.h"
 #include "gui/accelerators.h"
 #include "gui/color_picker_proxy.h"
 #include "gui/drag_and_drop.h"
diff --git a/src/dtgtk/icon.c b/src/dtgtk/icon.c
deleted file mode 100644
index 049cbd34a892..000000000000
--- a/src/dtgtk/icon.c
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,88 +0,0 @@
-/*
-    This file is part of darktable,
-    Copyright (C) 2011-2020 darktable developers.
-
-    darktable is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
-    it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
-    the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
-    (at your option) any later version.
-
-    darktable is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
-    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
-    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
-    GNU General Public License for more details.
-
-    You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
-    along with darktable.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
-*/
-#include "icon.h"
-#include "gui/gtk.h"
-#include <string.h>
-
-G_DEFINE_TYPE(GtkDarktableIcon, dtgtk_icon, GTK_TYPE_EVENT_BOX);
-
-static gboolean _icon_draw(GtkWidget *widget, cairo_t *cr);
-
-static void dtgtk_icon_class_init(GtkDarktableIconClass *klass)
-{
-  GtkWidgetClass *widget_class = (GtkWidgetClass *)klass;
-  widget_class->draw = _icon_draw;
-}
-
-static void dtgtk_icon_init(GtkDarktableIcon *icon)
-{
-}
-
-static gboolean _icon_draw(GtkWidget *widget, cairo_t *cr)
-{
-  g_return_val_if_fail(widget != NULL, FALSE);
-  g_return_val_if_fail(DTGTK_IS_ICON(widget), FALSE);
-
-  /* begin cairo drawing */
-  GtkAllocation allocation;
-  gtk_widget_get_allocation(widget, &allocation);
-
-  GtkStateFlags state = gtk_widget_get_state_flags(widget);
-
-  GdkRGBA fg_color;
-  GtkStyleContext *context = gtk_widget_get_style_context(widget);
-  gtk_style_context_get_color(context, state, &fg_color);
-
-  gdk_cairo_set_source_rgba(cr, &fg_color);
-
-  /* draw icon */
-  if(DTGTK_ICON(widget)->icon)
-    DTGTK_ICON(widget)->icon(cr, 0, 0, allocation.width, allocation.height, DTGTK_ICON(widget)->icon_flags,
-                             DTGTK_ICON(widget)->icon_data);
-
-  return FALSE;
-}
-
-// Public functions
-GtkWidget *dtgtk_icon_new(DTGTKCairoPaintIconFunc paint, gint paintflags, void *paintdata)
-{
-  GtkDarktableIcon *icon;
-  icon = g_object_new(dtgtk_icon_get_type(), NULL);
-  gtk_event_box_set_visible_window(GTK_EVENT_BOX(icon), FALSE);
-  icon->icon = paint;
-  icon->icon_flags = paintflags;
-  icon->icon_data = paintdata;
-  gtk_widget_set_name(GTK_WIDGET(icon), "dt-icon");
-  return (GtkWidget *)icon;
-}
-
-void dtgtk_icon_set_paint(GtkWidget *icon, DTGTKCairoPaintIconFunc paint, gint paintflags, void *paintdata)
-{
-  g_return_if_fail(icon != NULL);
-  DTGTK_ICON(icon)->icon = paint;
-  DTGTK_ICON(icon)->icon_flags = paintflags;
-  DTGTK_ICON(icon)->icon_data = paintdata;
-  gtk_widget_queue_draw(icon);
-}
-
-// clang-format off
-// modelines: These editor modelines have been set for all relevant files by tools/update_modelines.py
-// vim: shiftwidth=2 expandtab tabstop=2 cindent
-// kate: tab-indents: off; indent-width 2; replace-tabs on; indent-mode cstyle; remove-trailing-spaces modified;
-// clang-format on
-
diff --git a/src/dtgtk/icon.h b/src/dtgtk/icon.h
deleted file mode 100644
index 3922c5d9149d..000000000000
--- a/src/dtgtk/icon.h
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,50 +0,0 @@
-/*
-    This file is part of darktable,
-    Copyright (C) 2011-2020 darktable developers.
-
-    darktable is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
-    it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
-    the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
-    (at your option) any later version.
-
-    darktable is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
-    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
-    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
-    GNU General Public License for more details.
-
-    You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
-    along with darktable.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
-*/
-
-#pragma once
-
-#include "paint.h"
-#include <gtk/gtk.h>
-
-G_BEGIN_DECLS
-
-#define DTGTK_TYPE_ICON dtgtk_icon_get_type()
-G_DECLARE_FINAL_TYPE(GtkDarktableIcon, dtgtk_icon, DTGTK, ICON, GtkEventBox)
-
-struct _GtkDarktableIcon
-{
-  GtkEventBox widget;
-  DTGTKCairoPaintIconFunc icon;
-  gint icon_flags;
-  void *icon_data;
-};
-
-/** instantiate a new darktable icon control passing paint function as content */
-GtkWidget *dtgtk_icon_new(DTGTKCairoPaintIconFunc paint, gint paintflags, void *paintdata);
-
-/** set the paint function for a icon */
-void dtgtk_icon_set_paint(GtkWidget *icon, DTGTKCairoPaintIconFunc paint, gint paintflags, void *paintdata);
-
-G_END_DECLS
-
-// clang-format off
-// modelines: These editor modelines have been set for all relevant files by tools/update_modelines.py
-// vim: shiftwidth=2 expandtab tabstop=2 cindent
-// kate: tab-indents: off; indent-width 2; replace-tabs on; indent-mode cstyle; remove-trailing-spaces modified;
-// clang-format on
-
diff --git a/src/dtgtk/thumbnail.c b/src/dtgtk/thumbnail.c
index b41c0a2f0a11..9a36cf6de1f5 100644
--- a/src/dtgtk/thumbnail.c
+++ b/src/dtgtk/thumbnail.c
@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@
 #include "common/variables.h"
 #include "control/control.h"
 #include "dtgtk/button.h"
-#include "dtgtk/icon.h"
 #include "dtgtk/thumbnail_btn.h"
 #include "gui/drag_and_drop.h"
 #include "gui/accelerators.h"
diff --git a/src/libs/lib.c b/src/libs/lib.c
index 13ef8619b42b..70954b40b37f 100644
--- a/src/libs/lib.c
+++ b/src/libs/lib.c
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@
 #include "control/control.h"
 #include "dtgtk/button.h"
 #include "dtgtk/expander.h"
-#include "dtgtk/icon.h"
 #include "gui/accelerators.h"
 #include "gui/drag_and_drop.h"
 #include "gui/gtk.h"
diff --git a/src/libs/location.c b/src/libs/location.c
index 0c5126be21ba..be6d38985adc 100644
--- a/src/libs/location.c
+++ b/src/libs/location.c
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@
 #include "control/conf.h"
 #include "control/control.h"
 #include "control/jobs.h"
-#include "dtgtk/icon.h"
 #include "gui/gtk.h"
 #include "libs/lib.h"
 #include "libs/lib_api.h"
diff --git a/src/libs/modulegroups.c b/src/libs/modulegroups.c
index f05d47b295ce..bd2a1cba9944 100644
--- a/src/libs/modulegroups.c
+++ b/src/libs/modulegroups.c
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@
 #include "control/control.h"
 #include "develop/develop.h"
 #include "dtgtk/button.h"
-#include "dtgtk/icon.h"
 #include "gui/accelerators.h"
 #include "gui/gtk.h"
 #include "gui/presets.h"