An imaging device (100) being configured for optoacoustic imaging of an object (1) comprises an illumination device (10) including optical components arranged for illuminating the object (1), a detector device (20) arranged for detecting acoustic signals created in the object (1), and a container device (50) including a tank (51) arranged for accommodating the detector device (20), the object (1) and a matching transmission medium (53), wherein the container device (50) further includes a holding device (55) being adapted for positioning and moving the object (1) relative to the illumination device (10) and the detector device (20), the optical components are arranged in the tank (51) for illuminating the object (1) from different directions, and the detector device (20) comprises an array (21) of detector elements (22) which is arranged in the tank (51). According to a preferred embodiment, the holding device comprises a membrane (55) arranged for accommodating the object (1), wherein the membrane separates the object (1) and the matching transmission medium (53) from each other. Furthermore, an imaging method of optoacoustic imaging of an object (1) using the imaging device (100) is described.
