diff --git a/beets/importer.py b/beets/importer.py
index 68efbe02a..28f4308a4 100644
--- a/beets/importer.py
+++ b/beets/importer.py
@@ -692,6 +692,10 @@ def fetch_art(config):
                 try:
                     album = lib.get_album(task.album_id)
                     album.set_art(artpath)
+                    if config.delete and not util.samefile(artpath,
+                                                           album.artpath):
+                        # Delete the original file after it's imported.
+                        os.remove(artpath)
                 finally:
                     lib.save(False)
 
diff --git a/docs/changelog.rst b/docs/changelog.rst
index 5b407b89c..ced61f0b3 100644
--- a/docs/changelog.rst
+++ b/docs/changelog.rst
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ Changelog
   to "Various Artists".
 * Importing with ``import_delete`` enabled now cleans up empty directories that
   contained deleting imported music files.
+* Similarly, ``import_delete`` now causes original album art imported from the
+  disk to be deleted.
 * Plugin-supplied template values, such as those created by ``rewrite``, are now
   properly sanitized (for example, ``AC/DC`` properly becomes ``AC_DC``).
 * Filename extensions are now always lower-cased when copying and moving files.
diff --git a/test/test_importer.py b/test/test_importer.py
index 12a3460bd..c04a12296 100644
--- a/test/test_importer.py
+++ b/test/test_importer.py
@@ -729,9 +729,9 @@ class ArtFetchTest(unittest.TestCase, _common.ExtraAsserts):
         self.lib.save()
 
         # Set up an art-fetching coroutine.
-        config = _common.iconfig(self.lib)
-        config.art = True
-        self.coro = importer.fetch_art(config)
+        self.config = _common.iconfig(self.lib)
+        self.config.art = True
+        self.coro = importer.fetch_art(self.config)
         self.coro.next()
 
         # Import task for the coroutine.
@@ -785,6 +785,21 @@ class ArtFetchTest(unittest.TestCase, _common.ExtraAsserts):
         self.task.is_album = False
         self._fetch_art(False)
 
+    def test_leave_original_file_in_place(self):
+        self._fetch_art(True)
+        self.assertExists(self.art_file)
+
+    def test_delete_original_file(self):
+        self.config.delete = True
+        self._fetch_art(True)
+        self.assertNotExists(self.art_file)
+
+    def test_do_not_delete_original_if_already_in_place(self):
+        artdest = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(self.i.path), 'cover.jpg')
+        shutil.copyfile(self.art_file, artdest)
+        art.art_for_album = lambda a, b: artdest
+        self._fetch_art(True)
+
 def suite():
     return unittest.TestLoader().loadTestsFromName(__name__)