diff --git a/src/gnumeric.css b/src/gnumeric.css
index 29117febd..df9ce9dab 100644
--- a/src/gnumeric.css
+++ b/src/gnumeric.css
@@ -28,6 +28,10 @@ GtkBin.auto-expr {
   border-width: 0;
 }
 
+GnmItemGrid:selected {
+  background-color: cyan;
+}
+
 /* Function markers are enabled from View->View Properties->Cell Markers */
 GnmItemGrid function-marker {
   color: #80ff80;
diff --git a/src/item-grid.c b/src/item-grid.c
index 93d2186a4..751315c22 100644
--- a/src/item-grid.c
+++ b/src/item-grid.c
@@ -440,9 +440,6 @@ item_grid_draw_region (GocItem const *item, cairo_t *cr,
 	WorkbookView *wbv = sv_wbv (sv);
 	gboolean show_function_cell_markers = wbv->show_function_cell_markers;
 	gboolean show_extension_markers = wbv->show_extension_markers;
-	 /* we use the selected background color from an entry for selected cells */
-	GtkWidget *entry = gtk_entry_new ();
-	GtkStyleContext *ctxt = gtk_widget_get_style_context (entry);
 
 	/* To ensure that far and near borders get drawn we pretend to draw +-2
 	 * pixels around the target area which would include the surrounding
@@ -625,7 +622,7 @@ item_grid_draw_region (GocItem const *item, cairo_t *cr,
 						item_grid_draw_merged_range (cr, ig,
 									     start_x, y, &view, r,
 									     draw_selection,
-									     ctxt);
+									     goc_item_get_style_context (item));
 				}
 			} else {
 				lag = &(ptr->next);
@@ -721,7 +718,7 @@ plain_draw : /* a quick hack to deal with 142267 */
 			item_grid_draw_background (cr, ig,
 				style, col, row, x, y,
 				ci->size_pixels, ri->size_pixels,
-				draw_selection, ctxt);
+				draw_selection, goc_item_get_style_context (item));
 
 
 			/* Is this part of a span?
@@ -852,9 +849,6 @@ plain_draw : /* a quick hack to deal with 142267 */
 			ig_cairo_draw_bound (ig, cr, 1, start_y, 1, y);
 	}
 
-	g_object_ref_sink (entry);
-	g_object_unref (entry);
-
 	g_slist_free (merged_used);	   /* merges with bottom in view */
 	g_slist_free (merged_active_seen); /* merges with bottom the view */
 	g_slist_free (merged_unused);	   /* merges in hidden rows */
