diff --git a/INSTALL.rst b/INSTALL.rst
index 9e1b1338e608..6f780bb9bbdf 100644
--- a/INSTALL.rst
+++ b/INSTALL.rst
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ Matplotlib requires the following dependencies:
 * `Python <https://www.python.org/downloads/>`_ (>= 3.5)
 * `FreeType <https://www.freetype.org/>`_ (>= 2.3)
 * `libpng <http://www.libpng.org>`_ (>= 1.2)
-* `NumPy <http://www.numpy.org>`_ (>= |minimum_numpy_version|)
+* `NumPy <http://www.numpy.org>`_ (>= 1.10.0)
 * `setuptools <https://setuptools.readthedocs.io/en/latest/>`_
 * `cycler <http://matplotlib.org/cycler/>`_ (>= 0.10.0)
 * `dateutil <https://pypi.python.org/pypi/python-dateutil>`_ (>= 2.1)
diff --git a/doc/api/next_api_changes/2018-05-15-AL.rst b/doc/api/next_api_changes/2018-05-15-AL-removals.rst
similarity index 100%
rename from doc/api/next_api_changes/2018-05-15-AL.rst
rename to doc/api/next_api_changes/2018-05-15-AL-removals.rst
diff --git a/doc/api/next_api_changes/2018-08-31-AL.rst b/doc/api/next_api_changes/2018-08-31-AL.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..5510ffd4d87a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/api/next_api_changes/2018-08-31-AL.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+API removals
+````````````
+
+The following API elements have been removed:
+
+- ``__version__numpy__``
diff --git a/doc/conf.py b/doc/conf.py
index 5b2395702e62..095ea340abd1 100644
--- a/doc/conf.py
+++ b/doc/conf.py
@@ -314,10 +314,6 @@ def _check_deps():
 # documentation
 autoclass_content = 'both'
 
-rst_epilog = """
-.. |minimum_numpy_version| replace:: %s
-""" % matplotlib.__version__numpy__
-
 texinfo_documents = [
     ("contents", 'matplotlib', 'Matplotlib Documentation',
      'John Hunter@*Darren Dale@*Eric Firing@*Michael Droettboom@*'
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/__init__.py b/lib/matplotlib/__init__.py
index 1e87a0a968d4..3ca8a1d1243f 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/__init__.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/__init__.py
@@ -153,8 +153,6 @@
 
 _log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
-__version__numpy__ = '1.10.0'  # minimum required numpy version
-
 __bibtex__ = r"""@Article{Hunter:2007,
   Author    = {Hunter, J. D.},
   Title     = {Matplotlib: A 2D graphics environment},
@@ -189,27 +187,21 @@ def compare_versions(a, b):
         return False
 
 
-try:
-    import dateutil
-except ImportError:
-    raise ImportError("Matplotlib requires dateutil")
-
-
-try:
-    import pyparsing
-except ImportError:
-    raise ImportError("Matplotlib requires pyparsing")
-else:
-    if not compare_versions(pyparsing.__version__, '2.0.1'):
-        raise ImportError(
-            "Matplotlib requires pyparsing>=2.0.1; you have %s"
-            % pyparsing.__version__)
+def _check_versions():
+    for modname, minver in [
+            ("cycler", "0.10"),
+            ("dateutil", "2.1"),
+            ("kiwisolver", "1.0.1"),
+            ("numpy", "1.10"),
+            ("pyparsing", "2.0.1"),
+    ]:
+        module = importlib.import_module(modname)
+        if distutils.version.LooseVersion(module.__version__) < minver:
+            raise ImportError("Matplotlib requires {}>={}; you have {}"
+                              .format(modname, minver, module.__version__))
 
 
-if not compare_versions(numpy.__version__, __version__numpy__):
-    raise ImportError(
-        "Matplotlib requires numpy>=%s; you have %s" % (
-            __version__numpy__, numpy.__version__))
+_check_versions()
 
 
 if not hasattr(sys, 'argv'):  # for modpython
diff --git a/setupext.py b/setupext.py
index 5a10d87ef111..9ff35cd9f095 100644
--- a/setupext.py
+++ b/setupext.py
@@ -89,18 +89,6 @@ def _get_xdg_cache_dir():
 options['local_freetype'] = lft or options.get('local_freetype', False)
 
 
-def extract_versions():
-    """
-    Extracts version values from the main matplotlib __init__.py and
-    returns them as a dictionary.
-    """
-    with open('lib/matplotlib/__init__.py') as fd:
-        for line in fd.readlines():
-            if line.startswith('__version__numpy__'):
-                exec(line.strip())
-    return locals()
-
-
 def has_include_file(include_dirs, filename):
     """
     Returns `True` if *filename* can be found in one of the
@@ -855,20 +843,6 @@ def include_dirs_hook():
 
         return [numpy.get_include()]
 
-    def check(self):
-        min_version = extract_versions()['__version__numpy__']
-        try:
-            import numpy
-        except ImportError:
-            return 'not found. pip may install it below.'
-
-        if not is_min_version(numpy.__version__, min_version):
-            raise SystemExit(
-                "Requires numpy %s or later to build.  (Found %s)" %
-                (min_version, numpy.__version__))
-
-        return 'version %s' % numpy.__version__
-
     def add_flags(self, ext):
         # Ensure that PY_ARRAY_UNIQUE_SYMBOL is uniquely defined for
         # each extension