Imbert was born in Occitania in 1666. He was active in the charterhouse of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, but was originally from Marseille, as in a note on his Fuite en Egypte it is detailed that «[E]t les deux autres représentant la Fuitte en Egipte […] peint[s] par un frère chartreux de ladite maison nommé Imbert de Marseille, ces trois tableaux sont forts haut[s] et remplissent depuis le haut des stales presque jusqu’à la voûte»[1] He was a pupil of French painter and art theoristCharles Le Brun.[4]
He realized several paintings for the Carthusian Monastery of Notre-Dame-du-Val-de-Bénédiction in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, near Gard, Occitania, including a large painting depicting the flight into Egypt,[1] a copy of Guido Reni's Annunciation,[1][5] an oil on panel depicting the Marquise of Ganges in the Chartreusine costume of Saint Roseline de Villeneuve,[6] and a Compassion de la Vierge (Compassion of the Virgin), now lost. Regarding the lost painting, it was recorded that «Du cotté oposé il y a […] et les deux autres représentant […] et la Compassion de la Sainte Vierge, peint[s] par un frère chartreux de ladite maison nommé Imbert de Marseille, ces trois tableaux sont forts haut[s] et remplissent depuis le haut des stales presque jusqu’à la voûte»[1]
Frère Imbert executed also "smaller paintings, works on easel of more intimate expression, and copies of paintings of the preceding century, such as Nicolas Mignard's Annunciation."[1] Imbert "was not only a talented copyist. He was [also] able to elaborate powerful compositions, such as [his] Flight into Egypt […]"[1]
Imbert became a Carthusian monk, and later opened an art school in either Marseille or Avignon.[7] There, he taught Joseph Siffred Duplessis[4] and Adrien Manglard.[2] The latter reportedly learned figure painting with him.[2]
The figure of Frère Imbert is still relatively shrouded in mystery.[8]
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